The TOOSI's

Schooled by a Polite 3.5 Year-Old

2010-08-31T17:07:00.000-07:00

We've been working really hard on Parker's manners, but so far all it's taught my three and a half year old is to talk back politely.

Me: "Will you bring me your juice cup from upstairs, please?"

Parker (sweetly): "Will you go get it, please?"

Me: "I asked you first, buddy. Besides, I brought it up to you, so the nice and helpful thing to do would be to bring it back down to me."

Parker (even more sweetly): "Yes, you brought it up to me, so you may bring it back down, too."
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"And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them." - Luke 6:31

My Three Year Old is Reading!

2010-07-07T16:29:00.000-07:00

For some time now I've noticed Parker reading, but I had a suspicion that he was just memorizing words and not actually able to sound them out if he didn't recognize them. Lately he has been reading words to me in different stores that I know aren't terribly familiar to him. Then last week he was on Starfall.com and started reading the stories on there aloud to his Grandma and Grandpa. I think I was more impressed than they were because I knew that I had never read those stories to him before! Usually I let him go on the computer to play and he just goes for it while I clean or do something else. I've touted that website before, but had to mention it again.

Today I asked Parker to read on video so I could show Grandma and Grandpa. First he read from a book that my friend Sara gave to him recently that I suspect he's mostly memorized because there aren't many words. Then I pulled out the big guns. He has a big reader that my dad sent him awhile back that we rarely ever pull out because Jake and I think it's extremely boring, and it's looong. Not good for bedtime. I was so impressed that he did as well as he did! I couldn't put everything on here because it would be too big of a file, so I took a few clips that really showed how he was trying to sound out unfamiliar words and strung the clips together for your viewing pleasure.

I'm also going to post the full video of Parker reading "That's Not My Dinosaur," just because I think Sara would enjoy seeing how much Parker loves the book she gave him.

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"May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." Galatians 6:14

Bottling Moments

2010-05-26T10:59:00.000-07:00

I've had some precious moments this morning already that I wish I could bottle up and keep forever. Since I can't physically put them in a bottle, I decided to put them on this blog so I could go back to cherish them years from now.

I am twenty weeks into my pregnancy, and I have still been taking Zofran to help inhibit me from throwing up. It has now been 2.5 days since I've taken the medication and I managed to keep everything down until just a short while ago. That's the longest I've gone without medication and not threw up in over 14 weeks, so things are at least looking up. The nausea is worse without the medication, but I'm trying to work through it with food and prayer.

The one good thing about the nausea is it had me up before Parker nibbling crackers and drinking Sierra Mist. While doing so, I figured it was a good opportunity to get in some Bible study. Right now the mom's group I'm in is going through one of Beth Moore's 9-week studies. It's really helping me get a clear picture of my faith and encouraging me to ask God for more. I had a moment of reflection this morning where my mind was flashing through events throughout my life and realizing now how God was working in my life to bring me even to this day. This was bottle moment number one. It makes me excited to see what He has in store for me for the future. I know there will be trials, but I feel good that God will see me through them if I continue to believe Him and exercise faith in what He can and will do.

Bottle moment number two was when I went upstairs to get Parker out of bed:
Me: "Good morning, Love."
Parker: "I'm not Love. I'm Parker."
A little while later...
Me: "I love you, buddy. Oh wait, you're not buddy, you're Parker. Right?"
Parker (hugging me): "I'm your buddy, I'm your Parker, AND I'm your love." Aww...

Bottle moment number three was Parker playing hair dresser on me. He narrated the whole process beautifully to make sure I was comfortable (and following his directions). He used his toy drill as a blow dryer. He curled my hair with a screw driver. Then he "flattened" it with a nut stuck on the tip of the screw driver, "Now keep your eyes closed. I'll be very gentle." I sat there quietly like a good client and thought, "How sweet my little boy is. Who needs a girl when you have a boy like this, anyway?" Then, as if he read my mind, he took his saw and cut open my head to see what was inside. LOL! Fortunately, he took his hammer and nails and nailed my head back together. Then he went through the whole process of fixing my hair up again. I think he did a good job of hiding the scars. :)

Bottle moment number four is after breakfast when Parker wanted to snuggle with me on the couch. He pretended I was a bed and my hand was his cup holder. We were listening to Elton John. When "Crocodile Rock" came on, I started moving to the beat a little. When Parker said I couldn't dance because beds don't dance, I said, "But doesn't it make you want to dance? It's so hard not to dance when music like this comes on." Parker replied, "That's because this is rock 'n' roll!"

Since my tummy is starting to gurgle, I think I'll leave bottle moment number five to pictures:

Proud of his tower building skills

Then joyfully knocking it down!

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"... but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."
Isaiah 40:31

Oh... almost forgot!

2010-05-13T13:30:00.000-07:00

I just realized that maybe I should have posted this before my last post... oops! It's a BOY (obviously)!

I think I'm in love! Feeling very blessed today. God is good. :)

Conversations with Parker: "Anatomy Lesson"

2010-05-13T13:10:00.000-07:00

With me being pregnant, and Parker being an inquisitive three year-old, a detailed anatomy lesson was bound to happen sooner rather than later. This is the last part of our conversation during lunch today:

Parker: "Where does the name 'Mama' come from?"

Me: "It is short for mother, and a mother is a woman who has a child and takes care of it."

Parker: "No, I take care of YOU, Mama!" (proceeds to crawl into my lap and give me a hug).

Me: "Aww, yes, you do."

Parker: "And you take care of Dada, and Dada takes care of me!"

Me: "Yes, we all take care of each other."

Parker: "That's nice to take care of each other."

Me: "Are you going to help me take care of the new baby when he comes out?"

Parker: "Yes, but is he going to come out now?"

Me: "No, we want him to get bigger first. Right now he's about this big (showing with my hands), and we want him to get this big!"

Parker: "And THIS big! (spreading his arms wide)"

Me: "Well, he can get that big AFTER he comes out."

Parker: "But how does the baby come out?"

Me (doing a mental 'uh-oh'): "Well... there are two different ways he could come out. See this line in my belly? The doctor cut open my belly and that's how YOU came out. The other way he could come out is through my vagina."

Parker (thinking about this): "But if you go pee-pee, the baby will fall into the toilet!"

Me: "No, my pee-pee doesn't come out of my vagina."

Parker (looking confused): "But how come your pee-pee doesn't come out of your vagina?"

Me: "My pee-pee comes out of my urethra which is a part above my vagina. I know that's confusing for you since your urethra is inside your penis, so your pee-pee comes out of your penis."

Parker: "But what happens if the baby falls into the potty?"

Me: "That won't happen, I promise."

Parker: "But what happens if it DOES?"

Me: "Well, then I'd have to rescue him."

Parker: "But what happens if he goes down the drain?"

Me: "That won't happen Sweetie, he'd be too big to go down the drain. Maybe if he came out now he might, but we want him to come out when he's bigger and he'd be too big to fit down the drain."

Parker: "Maybe we should wait until your vagina gets bigger."

Me (laughing): "Yes, we should probably wait for that, too."

Parker: "But I want to see your... your... your etha."

Me: "You want to see my urethra?"

Parker: "Yes, I want to see it above your vagina."

Me (not liking where this is going and filling with doubt): "OK, maybe the next time I have to pee I'll show you where the pee comes out."

Parker: "But how about now?"

Me (sighing): "OK, I guess I do have to go potty."

And yup, you betcha, I (very briefly) pointed out where my urethra was and then quickly sat on the toilet. Fortunately, that ended the conversation (for now). Eek, though! At least we haven't gotten to the, "but how did the baby get in your belly?" question, yet!

Thankful Thursday

2010-05-06T13:20:00.000-07:00

I'm thankful I managed to keep my cool upon hearing a ripping noise and turning to discover Parker had just torn the back cover of one of my books, and I'm thankful for his 3 minute time out so I could type this. :OP

I'm Alive... (just barely)!

2010-05-05T15:59:00.000-07:00

Whew! So much has happened in the last five months and blogging has taken a back step to (barely) living. We bought and moved into our first home, the holidays came and went, I got pregnant, Parker turned 3 and stopped napping, and I've been spending the last 11 weeks trying to stay sane while puking, eating, sleeping, and trying not to blow up at Parker every second of the day.

A lot of people told me that every pregnancy is different, but it was said with the intent of convincing me that I wouldn't be sick like I was with Parker. OK, so this round has been better in the aspect that the anti-puke meds I take are now available in generic form and I can get more than 9 pills a month, so I'm actually gaining weight (a lot) instead of losing it. At 17 weeks today, I'm still nauseated and still puking (albeit far less often) despite my daily med regimen. Poop on the people who gave me hope, including my OB. Yes, especially poop on her for telling me that I'd stop puking after 12 weeks. I hope I have a vaginal birth this round so I can try to literally poop on her.

In case you haven't already gathered as much, here's another difference with this pregnancy than with Parker: mood swings. With Parker, I was unusually calm. I could care less about all the worrisome stuff going on around me at work. My whole focus was baby, baby, baby. This time around, all I care about is food and sleep. Everything else annoys me (including the baby inside of me) and the littlest stress will set me off.

Here are some examples: 1) Yesterday Parker ate crackers in my bedroom and dropped crumbs everywhere. This bothered me, of course, but it was him purposefully stomping on the crumbs that made me blow my top. 2) Since we don't have TiVo or anything, my husband and I have to compromise on what shows we watch. My husband enjoys Glee. I don't get it at all, but sometimes I enjoy the music at least. Last week it was so cheesy and the music was so terrible I wanted to throw something and break the TV so the torture would end. Fortunately, I was too lazy to do anything about it. This week I just went to bed early and avoided that particular annoyance. 3) The town home next to us was empty for several months and it was complete bliss. All of our neighbors have been quiet and friendly. Until a few weeks ago. We got new neighbors and they smoke and party late (but just on the weekends), and don't pick up their dog's poop. This last Sunday I started cursing loudly (God, forgive me) when cigarette smoke started drifting into our windows. I'm not usually prone to cursing, so this says something. I stomped upstairs and poured over the association rules to see what rights I had to get them to stop. The nice and reasonable side of me wants to make them cookies and ask them politely to stop messing up my feng shui. The pregnant side of me wants to just report them to the association and never attempt to be friends with such people (could I sound any more snobbish?).

I could go on, but I'm sure you get it by now. I don't really like the new pregnant me, and I've been trying hard to pay attention to my emotions and stop and pray and ask God for strength when I feel the hormones start raging, but they often get the best of me (and bring out the worst in me).

Oh, and one more thing. If you were one of those people who tried to convince me this pregnancy would be better, POOP ON YOU!

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On a more serious note: "That is why we are not discouraged. Though outwardly we are wearing out, inwardly we are renewed every day. Our suffering is light and temporary and is producing for us an eternal glory that is greater than anything we can imagine."
2 Corinthians 4:16

Lessons From Parker

2010-01-12T11:08:00.000-08:00

Hello Out There....

2009-11-05T16:45:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's been a month since I last blogged. Where has the time gone? I went on a little trip to visit some family and somehow just never got back into the swing of things. Parker was whiny and clingy most of the trip and I didn't deal with it well (to put it nicely). To be quite honest, I was a BEAR. This picture tells all:

We did manage to have some fun in spite of that...

We played in a big box.

We read books.

We got hurt.
(Oh, Greg, you're gonna love watching what happens to your wife)

We watched A LOT of TV.

We went to the park

One of our big goals was to take the kids to a pumpkin patch to get some pumpkins and take pictures of them in their costumes. We couldn't find a pumpkin patch, but we did find haystacks on the side of the road....

We visited my aunt and uncle and completely forgot to take pictures. Except when my little sister stole my camera (oh yes, my family bought me a new camera for an early Christmas present!) and shot these (LOL):

(Apparently my aunt has a cool chandelier. Leave it to artistic Sarah to notice.)

And we "sang" karaoke.

Ah, yes, when we gals get together, it can get a little... crazy. Gotta love family!

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"Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them." Deuteronomy 4:9

My Head is Going to Explode

2009-10-05T09:09:00.000-07:00

Yes, I have some weird allergy/ear thing going on giving me headaches and dizzy spells, but that's not why my head is going to explode. It's going to explode from spending the day "communicating" with a toddler.

I was reminiscing today on Parker's baby days. You know, back when he would cry and cry and cry and I would wish he could talk so I could know what he needed right away. As a first time mom, I guess I didn't fully realize the implications of that wish. I decided that (as Parker finally finishes eating breakfast) I would share with you what a normal day is now like since Parker can talk (bear in mind I've already had to get up ~~twice~~ ~~three~~ four times to ~~serve~~ help Parker in the ~~two~~ fifteen minutes since I've started writing this).

So earlier this morning Parker was taking a bath after waking up soaked with pee, even after being wrapped in two overnight diapers (off topic question - at what age do kids usually stop needing a diaper/pull-up at night after they've already been potty trained? I'm seriously thinking it might still be worthwhile to invest in cloth diapers if P's still going to need something at night for awhile).

Back to the bath. He's in the bath playing with a toy shark while I'm sitting on the toilet drinking some tea. The shark he's playing with starts talking to me in a deep voice.

P: "Hello Mama. What are you doing today?"

Me: "I'm drinking some tea. What are you doing?"

P: "I'm just fine."

Me: (I bust out in a pathetic explanation of the difference between "how" and "what")

P: (still in shark voice) "Mama, how are you today?"

Me: "I'm OK -- a little tired though. How are you today?"

P: "I'm fine. What are you doing today, Mister Mama?"

Me: "Well, after I drink my tea, I'd like to eat breakfast, read my Bible, get dressed and then go grocery shopping."

P: (Reverting back to Parker) "No, I don't want to go! I want to stay here with Dada and play!"

Me: "Sorry, Bud. Dada went to work. It's Monday (start singing a lousy rendition of the Mama's and The Papa's song)... Hey, don't drink that water! It's soapy!"

P: "It's not soapy."

Me: "Yes it is. I just washed you with soap. Look at how cloudy it is!"

P: "Sharks like dirty water."

Me: "They do, huh?"

P: "Yes."

(A minute or two passes while Parker sings "Monday, Monday" and then he pauses to pick his nose and flick his prize into the water.)

P: "I put boogies in the water. Water boogies!" (He laughs like he made the best joke ever and proceeds to dig for more "water boogies.")

Me: (Clearly annoyed) "Are you ready to get out yet?"

P: "I don't want to go to the store! I want to stay here and play!"

Me: "Don't worry, Bud. You'll have time to play. Look at me. I'm not ready. I still have to eat breakfast and get dressed."

P: "I want to eat breakfast, too!"

Me: "OK. What do you want for breakfast?"

P: "Hmm... maybe nothing."

Me: "How about oatmeal?"

P: "Hmm... maybe juice."

Me: "You can have juice if you get out."

P: "OK. I want juice Mister Mama. I want to stay here in my warm towel and YOU get my juice."

Me: (Tempted to bow) "OK, fine." (Proceed to take him out of the bath and then get his [mostly water but don't tell him that] juice.)

P: "I want to go pee-pee, Mama!"

Me: "OK. Stand up, please, and let's go on the potty."

P: "No, I want to sit down on the potty."

Me: "OK, but you need to stand up first, Dude."

P: "I want my towel on. Put it on my back and make sure it doesn't get pee-pee on it. (After peeing) I want to go poo-poo, Mama. I need a magazine."

Me: (Thinking) Oh man, this is going to be a loooooooooong day.

In my prayer later: Thank you, Lord, for my son's ability to talk. I know I complain, and please forgive me for that, but I do appreciate his ~~whiney~~ cute little voice and his ~~demanding~~ sweet demeanor. May he live a long, full, blessed life. Amen.

Thank goodness God has a sense of humor (I hope).
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"Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him." - Proverbs 30:5

Conversations with (2.5 years old now!) Parker

2009-10-02T15:20:00.000-07:00

July 25
We were visiting Jake's parents. Grandpa Dan had accidentally killed a large patch of grass. Parker looked at it and said, "That's a bummer."

July 28
Parker was sitting on the potty pulling on one of those little advertisement cards in a magazine and was getting rather frustrated. When I asked him what was wrong he said, "I'm trying to get this thingamajigger out!"

August 11
(Playing by himself with his cars)
Car #1: "Why, hello! Nice to meet you!"
Car #2: "You're not nice!"
Car #1: "I'm a teacher. I'm nice. Did you know that?"

(He matched them up like this by himself. Silly kid.)

Later...

Me: "Parker, buddy, guess what?"
P: "Chicken butt."

August 12
Me: "Parker, please don't drum on the table with your fork. You can use your hands to drum though."
P: "I don't want to drum with my hands! It's boring!"

Later...
Me: "Parker, do you want a vitamin and some milk now?"
P: "That's OK."
Me: "Does that mean you do want them or no?"
P: "That's OK."
Me: "Please say, 'yes I do want them' or 'no, I don't.'"
P: "Yes, I don't."

August 16
I handed Parker his electric toothbrush.
P: "Now I'm going to start it on, OK? OK."
Wait, was he talking to me? He either was talking to a voice in his head or decided to answer for me.

Later...
P: "I'm swinging like Christopher Robin?"
Me: "Which way does Christopher Robin swing?" (then laugh realizing what I just asked)

August 17
P singing: "This old man, he played three. He played knick-knack on my knee with a knick-knack paddy whack, talk about a bone, this old man came rolling home."

August 20
(swinging on the swing)
P: "I want to try the other one. This one's boring!"

Later...

Me: "Do you want to color?"
P: "Yes! For two hours!"

August 22
Me: "Did I make good eggs and pancakes, little man?"
P: "Yes!"
Me: "Whose do you like better, Mama's or Grandma's?"
P: "Mama's AND Grandma's!"
(such a smart boy) ;)

Later...

Me: "Parker, do you want to go to Guitar Center with Dada?"
P: "Yes."
Me: "And maybe somewhere else to get a new box for his latest amp project?"
P: "And we should get a guitar for his amp, too!"
(A boy after Dada's own heart)

August 26
P: "Oh no, Mama made a mess!"
Me: "I made a mess?"
P: "A different mama made a mess."
Me: "Oh."
P: "A different mama made a mess. She's at work and she spilled on the floor. Needs to wipe it up. And I'm not going to Dada's work today."
Me: "Um, OK then."

August 27
P whined and put his fingers in his mouth.

Me: "What's wrong? Do you have ouchie teeth?"
(shakes his head no)
Me: "Did you bite your tongue?"
(shakes his head no)
Me: "Are you just being whiney?"
P: (nods head) "Yes."

Later that day...

Parker was taking a shower and he started to pee. He grabbed his penis and pointed it up.

Me: "Don't point your penis up, the pee might get in your eyes or mouth!"
P: "I want to pee in my mouth!"
Me: "No, that's yucky!"
P: "I want to put my penis in my mouth!"

August 28
Parker was looking at a guitar magazine and noticed a "distressed" looking guitar.

P: "What happened to the paint?"
Me: "Oh, they did that on purpose. It's a design."
P: "Are you kidding me?"

I laugh. He turns the page and points to a man with longish hair.

P: "Does this look like Josh Brogan?"
Me: "I don't know, let me see. Oh, it does look a little like Josh Groban."
P: "Look at his hair!"
Me: "Yeah, is it kind of long and curly looking?"
P: "No, it's funny looking."

He should talk.

September 6
Parker was pretending to go to work and his little cousin Lily was following him. P turned and said, "NO, Lily! Don't go to work! It's MY work!"

October 1
We were on a walk and we stopped for a while to watch the cars on a main street.

P: "Look, Mama! A Smart car!" He paused to watch it drive by. "Who drives Smart cars?"
Me: "Smart people."
P: "I don't know any smart people."

October 2 (today)
Parker helped me sweep and clean the bathroom without me even asking him to, so after we were done I gave him high 5's, pound-it's and told him he could pick out as many stickers as he wanted. I left the room to let him pick them out and a few minutes later he came and found me and said, "I picked out two stickers for being too, too good!"

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"Nothing is as wonderful as knowing Christ Jesus my Lord." Philippians 3:8

Keeping the Magic Alive... Through Texting.

2009-09-28T12:47:00.000-07:00

Jake:

:O*

Me:

"Ahhh! R those ur lips?? When did u get lip augmentation?!"

Jake:
:OP

(Thank goodness he didn't send a pic of this)

Me:

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"So each husband should love his wife as much as he loves himself, and each wife should respect her husband." - Ephesians 5:33

(Um, was this respectful to my husband? Probably not. Thank goodness he still loves me... right, hunny?) :O*

Thankful Thursday... in Pictures

2009-09-24T14:37:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I've done a Thankful Thursday blog, so I thought it was about time!

I'm thankful for my sister and her hubby's generosity and for giving us a gift card to The Cheesecake Factory!

I'm thankful Parker partook of the squaw bread at the restaurant. He called it chocolate bread (and we didn't correct him).

I'm thankful for my silly husband

I'm thankful for Parker's grandparents always doing fun things with him that he doesn't get to do with us very often....

Like riding in a cool wagon.

And getting to eat Mickey Mouse pancakes in preparation for a day at Disneyland!

I'm thankful Parker enjoys playing pretend now....

Here he is pretending to be Grandpa with his new
Hawaiian shirt from Auntie Leann and Uncle Greg.

Giving himself a bubble goatee so he can be Dada

I'm thankful for "baseball" in the house!

I'm thankful for the day Parker kept asking for more raisins. Hey, it's fruit, right?

I'm thankful for Parker's art work...

And for him inspiring me to do my own...

(OK, so I was just using up the paint he didn't use and it took

me only a few minutes to do both of these, but it was still fun!)

I'm thankful Parker has been interested in spelling (especially if it's related to cars).

(Parker: "Mama! Come see! I spelled GMC!") =)

I'm thankful for hot days in the shade with a kiddie pool!

I'm thankful for play dates and silly boys!

I'm thankful Parker can make a car out of just about anything!

And lastly, I'm thankful my husband just sent me a text message saying he was taking a surprise vacation day tomorrow! Woo-hoo!

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"Let love be your guide." Ephesians 5:2

Recipe Blog Shout-Out

2009-09-21T20:57:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to give a quick shout-out to Jenny, a fellow blogger, for her meal planning blog, "In My Mouse." She unwittingly helped me out in a huge way today! While I was dealing with P's tantrum and racking my brain trying to decide what to make this week, I thought of her blog and went there for some inspiration.

She recommended the Oregano Lemon Chicken that we had tonight. I served it with garlic mashed potatoes and broccoli steamed in chicken broth. Jake prefers chicken breast, but he ate it AND said yes when I asked him if he wanted to bring the leftovers to work for lunch tomorrow. Whew! Parker even tried one bite of everything before asking for something else. I was more than happy to serve him something else knowing he at least tried everything! Miracle of miracles. Maybe the episode this morning was worth it?

After the day I had, I was more than ready for a cup of tea to help relax me tonight. As I started filling the water in my teapot, I remembered this treat Jenny had posted on her blog and decided to give it a shot. YUM! I used vanilla rice milk instead of regular milk, but it was still delicious. As a former barista, though, I would call it a Lattea rather than a Capputeano (laugh). Whatever you call it, it's GOOD!

Tomorrow night we're trying these chicken enchiladas. I have two different enchilada recipes I make already, but this one looked pretty tasty and (hopefully) less time-consuming than my staple one.

Thanks, Jenny!

Monday, Monday. Can't Trust That Day.

2009-09-21T10:35:00.001-07:00

I had no intention of blogging today. I was supposed to be grocery shopping a long time ago. But I can't even finish my meal planning/grocery list because Parker has been crying all morning. I can't believe I've managed to stay calm this whole time. I've had to say quite a few silent prayers for patience, and God, fortunately, answered them. I am now attempting some sanity and distraction by writing while he's throwing a tantrum in his room. I decided to put him in there instead of letting him pull on my pants and scream while I try to think about what we need for meals this week. I tried again to finish my list after putting him in his room, but it's futile. I can't concentrate when he's screaming like this. Ironically enough, food seems unimportant at the moment.

I bet you wonder why that's ironic and also why he's crying. It's because he's hungry, but refuses to feed himself. That's right. Over the past few months our "I do it all by myself" toddler has turned into a "I can't do it!" terror. He "can't" feed himself. He "can't" climb the stairs by himself. He "can't" put his toys away. I feel like a failure every time he uses those words. I want him to be proud of his accomplishments and want him to know we're proud of him when he does something all by himself. Lately, though, he has turned a regression corner away from which I have been unable to steer him. I wonder what I've done (or not done) to cause this. I've tried reminding him of the Little Engine That Could and the Bob the Builder slogan, "Can we do it? Yes we can!" He doesn't buy it.

While Lily was visiting, we had to help feed her with some items like yogurt and oatmeal, etc. When Parker saw that, you'd better believe he wanted us to feed him, too. To avoid a fight, I admit I probably made a huge mistake. I fed him. All the while I was doing it I was thinking about that terrible day a while back when I had to let him cry for an hour before he decided he would feed himself a muffin. Yup, see? I knew what I was getting into, but I did it anyway.

So, now, today, we're having the same struggle as that one day. He is so hungry and feels so yucky, but he refuses to feed himself his oatmeal. He wants it. He asked me for it. He asked me to feed it to him. I told him if he tried to do it by himself but couldn't that I would help him. He said no deal to that. He didn't even want to try. So I decided to just let him get down from the table and play until he was ready to feed himself. But that didn't work, either. I'm trying hard to stand my ground and not feed him. I feel so torn about it. I don't want to create a power struggle over food. Since he turned two we've had enough eating problems from him as it is. It's like his taste buds changed overnight. My self-feeding broccoli/spinach/chicken/fish eater just disappeared.

I just don't know if I should be spoon feeding him when I know he's perfectly capable of doing it himself. I question whether I'm doing the right thing, believe me. Am I being too hard on him? He's not even three years old, for goodness sake. But his self confidence lately has been so low. I can't figure it out!

After checking on him and having a talk with him, I was able to calm him down and he's finally playing at least. Do I dare bring him to the grocery store hungry? That sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. Maybe now I can at least finish my grocery list in peace and then we'll see how things go...

And by the way, I would appreciate any life experience advice in this matter! Even if you think I'm going about this all the wrong way, give it to me; I can handle criticism. Sometimes it's the only way I learn.
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From my quiet time reading today:
"... a sensible person learns by being instructed." - Proverbs 21:11

Cousin Lily's Visit

2009-09-18T13:45:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since I last blogged, I know. We've been pretty busy. I barely looked at my computer while Parker's 15 1/2 month old cousin Lily stayed with us for 11 days. Her folks got a much needed vacation in Hawaii while we had an adventure at home. It was rough with everyone sick and Lily trying to adjust without her favorite people in the whole wide world, but we made the best of it and tried to have as much fun as possible while she was here. I took lots of pics on my phone (way too many to put on here). Here are some of my favorites from those 11 days.

"Bean-er"
(Her nickname is Lily Bean, or Bean, or Beaner)

Kissing bye-bye in the car

One last pic before I woke her up to see her family

We love you, Beaner!

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"If you respect the Lord, you and your children have a strong fortress and a life-giving fountain that keeps you safe from deadly traps." - Proverbs 14:26-27

Date Night Mad Lib

2009-08-27T16:01:00.000-07:00

I couldn't decide whether to post this here on my family blog since it was a true story about hubby and I or put it on my writing blog since it was a story within a story. I compromised and decided to put it on my writing blog and then post a link to it here.

Date Night Mad Lib

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Coffee Crumb Cake

2009-08-24T13:31:00.000-07:00

This is a scrumptious Betty Crocker coffee cake recipe, slightly modified (so that I can pretend it's better for me). I'm not a coffee drinker, but it tastes awesome with tea, too! I will include the original recipe as well, just in case anyone would rather make that version. Note that the modified version has double the topping (kind of defeats the purpose of trying to make it "healthy," Erin). Also, the modified version lowers the temperature and cooks it a little longer (helps prevent it from burning on the edges before the middle is cooked).

Cake Ingredients:
1 beaten egg
1/4 cup oil
2/3 cup milk
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp Fiber-sure, Benefiber or other clear-mixing/baking fiber (optional)

Topping Ingredients:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tbsp whole wheat flour
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp melted butter
1/2 cup nuts (optional - I go without for picky hubby and son)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix together topping ingredients and set aside. Combine beaten egg, oil and milk. Combine dry ingredients together and then add wet ingredients to the dry and mix. Pour into a greased 9x9x2 pan or pie plate. Sprinkle with topping. Bake about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

ORIGINAL RECIPE:

Cake ingredients:
1 beaten egg
1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Topping:
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tbsp flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp melted butter
1/2 cup nuts (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Mix together topping ingredients and set aside. Combine beaten egg, oil and milk. Combine dry ingredients together and then add wet ingredients to the dry and mix. Pour into a greased 9x9x2 pan or pie plate. Sprinkle with topping. Bake about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
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"A simple meal with love is better than a feast where there is hatred." - Proverbs 15:17

Alone At Last

2009-08-20T09:15:00.000-07:00

Guess what this Mama got to do this week? A visit to the OB/GYN ...

Again?

AND a root canal.

Waaa!

But with the bad, also came some good. Jake's parents took Parker Monday morning and didn't return him until Wednesday afternoon! Thank goodness for grandparents! Yes, I went to my appointments (neither of which was fun), and I did my usuals - Bible study, light cleaning and cooking, grocery shopping (Costco and Ralphs) - BUT I also got so much alone time I almost didn't know what to do with myself. I had so many things I COULD do, but I decided to actually relax, veg and just "be."

Call me lazy if you wish. I call it smart. I stocked up and restored energy and patience for my time with the little man. I caught up on reading and responding to people's blogs, caught up on writing some blogs (including this one), spent way too much time on Facebook, enjoyed some nature, prayed, and spent some quality time with the hubs. We debated doing something fun like going for a walk on the beach and getting ice cream, but decided we'd save money, time and the environment by not driving anywhere. Instead we took an evening walk around the neighborhood. We also trespassed on some private property, which made us feel like naughty teenagers. Tsk Tsk!

Haha - look at the shadow of my nose on hubby's shirt! Wowzers!
I've read your nose and ears never stop growing. Scary.

Trespasser!

Ooh... I'm gonna tell!

So fine me, I joined him. It was my idea in the first place.

View from one side of the "gazebo"

From Jake's phone's camera

View of houses from the other side

Talking on the phone?

My mouth is moving... do I ever shut up?

Chalk outline! AHHHHHHHHH!

Can you see the termite rot?

I can hear the violins playing now for this lonely, sad, dying plant
(OK, weed, as my friend Jelly, also a biologist, pointed out).

More dying plants... AKA fire hazards.

It's been a dry summer!

I found this lovely shed snake skin, noticed all the snake holes
around my feet, and we hightailed it out of there!

Did end up indulging in ice cream after all. I had bought a large bunch
of bananas for 99 cents at Costco -we had to use them up!
And I had a root canal, cut me some slack!

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Some verses that hit home for me this week:

"Accept correction, and you will find life; reject correction, and you will miss the road." - Proverbs 10:17

"You will say the wrong thing if you talk too much - so be sensible and watch what you say." - Proverbs 10:19 (I really need to memorize this one and recite it to myself daily... no hourly!)

"You should be happy to give the poor what they need" - Deuteronomy 15:10

"Three times I begged the Lord to make this suffering go away. But he replied, 'My kindness is all you need. My power is strongest when you are weak.' So if Christ keeps giving me his power, I will gladly brag about how weak I am. Yes, I am glad to be weak or insulted or mistreated or to have troubles and sufferings, if it is for Christ. Because when I am weak, I am strong." - 2 Corinthians 12:8-10

Pictures For My Mother

2009-08-19T09:32:00.000-07:00

Facebook lovelies, I know these pics are already up, but my dear technologically challenged mother hates Facebook and I decided to put them on the family blog as well... just for her. Enjoy, mom! I do not have a real camera at the moment (just my phone) so I apologize for the quality (or lack thereof) of most of these.

Playing Dress-Up

Super Parker!

Look at him fly!

Sheriff Mama!

Together we're cleaning up this town!

And of course, Parker had to have a turn being Sheriff!

Auntie Leann's text/photo response to our pics
"Arrr, I'm the Pirate Mama!"

Another day...
P: "I'm wearing Uncle Drew's shoes!"
Me: "What? Uncle Drew wears high heels?"
P: "No... but he likes them!"

Coloring Fun

What happens when P asks me to color with him

And speaking of corn....

This is a bite P took of his corn on the cob... right through the cob!

"Green" Giveaway!

2009-08-17T21:22:00.000-07:00

Beautiful 2 God has an awesome giveaway going on on her blog... reusable grocery bags. These are not just any reusable grocery bags either. I have the ugly brown Stater Bros. reusable bags that I get snide comments on every time I shop at Ralphs. Many of them have tears in them. Yes, I'm ready for new ones! But, really, I'd also love for another mom who doesn't already have her own reusable bags to win these beauties, so please visit Beautiful 2 God and enter her Envirosax giveaway!

Let's Talk About Dinner

2009-08-16T18:37:00.000-07:00

Hubby was nice enough to make P dinner tonight. We had leftover homemade fried rice and P didn't like it the first time around (him spitting it out onto the floor was the first clue) so he got his own meal this round. Jake made him a big plate of macaroni and cheese, garden vegetables, and five (got that? 5!) chicken nuggets.

"Five chicken nuggets AND macaroni and cheese?" I asked incredulously.

"Well, there were only five left and it seemed silly to make three and leave two," Hubby replied.

"Why didn't you make two and leave three then?" I snidely remarked.

Guess how many chicken nuggets P ate? That's right. Two. Guess how many bites of vegetables he ate? Yeah, I don't even have to say it, do I?

Hubby says, "It's OK, whatever he doesn't eat you will."

And yes, I wanted to, but because of that comment, I didn't. I wasn't hungry, I just hate throwing away food. Something my mom shoved down my throat about starving kids in China.

Awwww

2009-08-10T17:14:00.001-07:00

I just went to wake the little guy from a long nap. He was sleeping soundly and had one of his little palms turned up. I knelt down next to his bed and put my finger in his hand. His eyes fluttered open, he gave me the sweetest smile and then he immediately leaned forward to give me a huge hug. Made my day!

Everybody Dance Now

2009-08-04T16:34:00.000-07:00

We have a lot of dance sessions in our house. I had so many clips piled up of Parker dancing/running/jamming that I decided to make a music video to his current favorite dance song by C + C Music Factory "Gonna Make You Sweat."

(Facebook users click View Original Post to see video)

Wait, I'm Not Invincible?

2009-07-31T15:50:00.000-07:00

I've been keeping really busy today, but somehow have found that there's still been plenty of time for reflection. I'm attempting to write everything out in the hopes that by the end of it I will stop feeling sorry for myself and be thankful to God for what I do have.

After a visit to the doctor yesterday, my invincibility cloak (bad Harry Potter pun/metaphor) has slipped off my shoulders. Finally, after almost four years, I have a plausible diagnosis of a chronic pain in my lower left abdomen. August 28th, 2005 - I lugged a much-too-heavy suitcase upstairs and shortly afterward was doubled up in pain on my bed. I waited as long as I could stand it before I went to see a doctor. I had a CT scan done and a pelvic ultrasound. No hernia or other obvious answer for the pain showed up. The doctor I was seeing happened to have endometriosis herself and decided that's what I had as well. She told me that she had never been able to have kids because she had waited too long. She went on to mention that if I wanted to have kids, I'd better start trying now before the disease progressed farther because "it could take you five years to get pregnant... if you're lucky!"

Jake and I discussed it. We weren't sure we were ready. We had been together over six years, but we had just gotten married in June, and Jake had just had brain surgery in July! Did we want to take the risk of bringing a kid into this world in the midst of all these big things? But we decided that yes, we did want kids, and if it might take years to get pregnant, we were willing to give it a shot.

The next month, I was pregnant. What happened to five years? A couple of days before Thanksgiving, I had a miscarriage. Thinking at first that the miscarriage could have been because of the supposed endometriosis, we waited six months and tried again. Within a month, I was pregnant again. So much for endometriosis. But then, the pain practically disappeared during my pregnancy. I had a few "episodes" as I called them, but nothing that lasted too long. Huh, I thought. Maybe it was endometriosis. But the pain didn't really return after Parker was born. If it did, it was little episodes like I had during my pregnancy that I didn't worry about.

Then, about a month ago, the pain came back full force. Sometimes it felt like it did that first night and the pain was so bad I almost wanted to cry. Other times it was more mellow, and then sometimes there would be almost a whole day without pain. But it always started up again.

I had recently started eating peanut butter again after laying off of it for awhile because it made me feel blah, and I thought maybe the pain was a strange reaction to peanut butter. I kept a food journal, and it seemed as though it were possible. I stopped eating peanut butter and within a few days the pain was gone. Then I ate it to test it out. The pain returned six hours later! I thought maybe, just maybe, I had found the answer. But after stopping the peanut butter completely, I still had a few more episodes. Darn.

I gave in and made an appointment to see my doctor (a different one - I had stopped seeing the other kooky doctor long ago). About five days before my appointment, the pain pretty much went away again and didn't return. Even so, I decided to keep the appointment.

I discussed all of this with the doctor and he had me lay down with my knees up and started pressing on my abdomen. He found the spot, but it really didn't seem to hurt all that much. Then he told me to put my legs straight up in the air as he was pressing down on my side. What? I tried to barely lift one foot and pain shot throughout my abdomen. My face turned red with effort, I gave up and I told him I couldn't do it. The doctor gave me a triumphant grin (sometimes I really can't stand that guy) and told me that it was my abdominal wall.

He said I had probably strained it or torn my abdominal wall when I was lifting the luggage, but not enough to cause a hernia (hence why they didn't see anything with the ultrasound). He said that the pain now could be from scar tissue from not healing well, or I re-injured the area. Either way, he said, there's not much that can be done except to rest it, ice and heat it, and take anti-inflammatory drugs like Ibuprofen when I feel the pain. He said that, just as some people have "trick knees," I'd done some permanent damage and would probably have to deal with this the rest of my life. The only other thing they might be able to do if I don't get the pain under control is give me a cortisone shot in the area. He said we'd wait a month to see how things go before attempting that.

I left the office feeling surprisingly elated. This is an answer that makes sense! And I don't have to have any more tests! Sweet! I was a little bit in pain after the unplanned calisthenics on the doctor's table, but it didn't seem like anything I couldn't handle. Later in the afternoon, bam - the pain hits me full force again. There went my joy.

Today, even after taking the recommended double-dose of Ibuprofen, the pain still hasn't completely gone away and I'm playing the blame game. I'm always injuring myself because I tend to act like I'm invincible. I think I forget sometimes that I'm 5 feet tall, 100 pounds (OK give [not take] 5 pounds or so) and not Wonder Woman.

About 8 or 9 years ago, I moved an office desk all by myself because I wanted it in a different area. The very next day, I had a sharp pain all the way down my left leg that made it nearly impossible for me to walk. An advice nurse told me over the phone that I probably had a slipped disc in my back and it was pinching on my nerve. Oops. It took a really long time to heal from that episode.

You'd think I'd have learned from that, right? No, not really. A few years ago I tried moving a whole bunch of heavy boxes in the storage area at work and ended up hurting my wrist. That is an injury that still acts up once in awhile.

Then last year I injured my back again when my 11 year-old 80-pound neighbor surprised me and jumped on my back. Instead of making her get down right away, I stupidly tried to carry her and ended up straining my lower back. Again, I had to rest it to heal. Not really easy seeing as how I still had to carry Parker around everywhere. I tried to be good, but I couldn't stop carrying him completely. I mean, he wasn't even two at the time.

And now, Ms. Big Shot thought that she could start a workout regimen without consulting her doctor first. Today was supposed to be my last day of my training program before trying the 100 push-ups and 200 squats in a row (I was a few weeks behind on the crunches so not quite there yet). I'm bummed that it appears I can't finish my goal. I was so close!

I'm beginning to realize that I have limitations and I often over-do it because... well, I think I just don't want to admit to myself that I can't do anything and everything. No wonder the Bible touches on pride. Well, God, today my pride has been knocked down a couple of notches. That's probably a good thing. Maybe I needed this as a reminder that I still have a lot of things left to learn. I haven't been using "common sense and sound judgment." Proverbs 3:21.

Today Parker was unusually loud and hyper everywhere we went, loving all the attention he was getting from people. He was uncommonly adventurous and wanted to climb a rock wall at the playground all by himself. Actually, he wanted to climb everything at the park and to try jumping off of things. I felt terrible because he finally was being brave enough to attempt these things and here I was asking him not to go up certain things because of the pain I was in. I knew that I wouldn't be able to guide him or be able to keep him from getting hurt. It was a reminder to me that if I want to be able to keep up with this kid in the future, I had better take care of myself now and let people help me more often instead of stubbornly trying to do things by myself.

I do feel better now (emotionally anyway), especially after spending some time reading the Bible and finding the verses below. Thank you, God, for everything you've done and please forgive me for feeling sorry for myself! I know everything happens for a reason and this, too, shall pass.
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"Too much pride can put you to shame. It's wiser to be humble." Proverbs 11:2

"I have made everything; that's how it all came to be. I, the Lord, have spoken. The people I treasure most are the humble - they depend only on me and tremble when I speak." Isaiah 66:2

"We don't have the right to claim that we have done anything on our own. God gives us what it takes to do all that we do." 2 Corinthians 3:5

Conversations with P-Man

2009-07-27T22:26:00.000-07:00

I've been journaling these little moments and have no energy to write anything creative or work on the videos I have piled up, so I thought it was a good time to do another round of these:

July 9

(P is pulling his music blanket from his room into the living room)

Me: "Parker, I just WASHED that today! What are you doing with it?"

P: "I'm getting it dirty!"

Later that day....

Me: "Hey buddy, you want some calcium?"

P: "Oh yes! I open it all by myself?"

Me: "Uh... no."

P: "Uh... YES!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
July 11

Dada: "Parker, are you a big boy?"

P: "No, I'm a baby still."

D: "You are? How old are you?"

P: "32 pounds!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
July 21st

Me: "P you hungry? Do you want me to make dinner?"

P: (heavy shrug and sigh) "Whatever."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This next one doesn't have a date attached because it's something he uses all the time. Basically, instead of using the term "I want," he says, "I'd better." Some examples:

"I'd better get down now."

"I'd better play with cars."

"I'd better do it by myself."

"I'd better go to sleep now." (Yeah right, I wish he said that).

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"Let your hope make you glad. Be patient in time of trouble and never stop praying." Romans 12:12

Sleep Deprivation?

2009-07-22T15:40:00.000-07:00

I've been driving my husband nuts lately. This is nothing new, but I'm taking it to great heights. I have been doing things without actually paying attention to what I'm doing. This is also nothing new, but definitely worse than even my usual lack of spatial awareness. I'm leaving cabinet doors open, lights on, the stool keeps getting left in the middle of the kitchen floor, laundry left in the washing machine for hours... I'm surprised I haven't found cereal in the fridge and milk in the cabinet yet (yes, I've done that).

Last night hubby and I were getting ready for bed. I flossed. I rinsed with Plax to loosen my plaque. I used my gum massager. I rinsed with Act fluoride rinse. I then go to open the door to leave and hubby gave me a weird look.

"Aren't you going to brush your teeth?"

I gave him a weird look right back. Huh? Didn't I just... oh my gosh! I never actually brushed my teeth! The worst part was that I couldn't remember NOT doing it. I had to feel my toothbrush to see if it was wet. It was dry, of course.

Then I asked him if he was going to go pee before we left the bathroom. He rolls his eyes. Apparently he had already done that right in front of me a couple of minutes prior.

This is bad. I can't blame it on mommy brain anymore, can I? I mean, my son is almost 2.5!

I admit I haven't been sleeping well lately. The other night I woke up with a pain in my neck and down my spine. After an hour of tossing and turning, I took some Tylenol. After a half an hour, still in pain, I decided to give my hunny a break and move to the living room. I set up some pillows and blankets on the floor and figured I'd be up the rest of the night. But, I actually fell asleep within minutes and stayed there until morning. I woke up, stood up (but stayed hunched like a cave-man from being so sore) and hobbled into my bedroom where clueless hubby stares at my wild messed-up hair. "Where've you been?" I had to think about it. Where had I been?

This afternoon, I came out to the living room after putting P down for a nap and was going to do my push-up/squat/sit-up program. But I forgot. I just now remembered. I have precious little time left now before I have to start making dinner. I planned chicken noodle soup and cornbread. It's 81 degrees inside with the AC on.

Oops.
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"A truly good wife is the most precious treasure a man can find!" - Proverbs 31:10 (maybe it's because they're rare?)

Men... Why We Love Them

2009-07-16T07:00:00.000-07:00

Remember the "newlywed" days when you couldn't wait to see the other person, when you relished every moment spent together, and when you used the restroom you shut the door, turned on the fan and ran the water to drown out any embarrassing noises? Me neither.

I have a vague recollection of this happening, though.

Fast forward 10 years. We still only have one bathroom. Things can get a little ugly when someone's in the shower or getting ready at the sink and the other really has to "go." Needless to say, I rarely bother to even shut the door anymore. If I spend more than two minutes in the bathroom with the door shut my little "follows-me-everywhere" Parker is opening it anyway.

I've been teaching him about privacy. He will give it to me when I ask (for a minute if I'm lucky). Sometimes I swear he has the memory of a goldfish. Actually, it's probably more because I ask for it that it makes him all the more curious. Especially during "that time" of the month. It's usually the only time I bother to ask for it.

The other day he closed the door when I asked for privacy. Thirty seconds later he popped it back open. He left it open and walked toward his room. 10 seconds later he was nonchalantly passing by, pretending not to look but looking nonetheless. Another 10 seconds and he walks by the other direction doing the same thing. It took every stern mothering instinct in me not to laugh at his antics despite the indecent exposure on my part.

My husband is a little more private about his private stuff. He actually locks the door. But he has gotten a little more lenient about "letting loose" in the restroom. Out of necessity, he had to give in and start peeing in front of me. He was so embarrassed about it at first. "Don't look!" Of course I teased him to no end and pretended to look while really trying not to. I mean, who (in their right mind) wants to see that? But I've learned some new things from this endeavor...

Wait, let me back up a little. I complain about having one bathroom, but we have some really funny memories in the bathroom that I wouldn't want to change for anything. Hubby and I almost always do our bedtime routine in the bathroom together. The bathroom is between our room and Parker's room, so we try to be as quiet as possible when he's asleep. This is not usually feasible when we're trying hard not to laugh at each other's grossness (is that a word? well it is now).

For example, one time while we were brushing our teeth, Jake realized he had to fart. In an effort to muffle the fart, he decided to back up (beep... beep... beep...) into his towel before letting go. Bad idea. Somehow it was magnified ten times as it bounced off the wall behind the towel. I nearly choked on my toothpaste.

OK, so back to the prior subject of urination. I've noticed that Jake seems to fart at the end of every pee (OK, so farts are still in the subject as well). The other night I asked him if it was physically possible for him to pee without farting and he simply stated, "No."

Then I started picturing a public men's room with a man at every urinal, each one farting as if to state, "I'm man, I'm almost done peeing, hear me roar!" When I voiced this mental picture aloud to hubby, he matter of factly stated, "Oh, it happens all the time. It's generally accepted. It's not like everyone stops and points to laugh... unless it smells horrible. Then we wait until the person leaves and someone states 'Did you SMELL that?'"

Another mental picture pops in my head of a group of men crowding around to get a sniff.

A couple of nights ago I had to smile when I passed by the bathroom and hubby was helping Parker use the potty. Parker insisted on standing up like Dada, but this time he didn't want a stool because Dada doesn't use one. Imagine this if you can... nearly 2.5 year-old Parker is on his tippy toes and Jake is holding his armpits. P's "boys" are "resting" on the toilet rim. Jake is cheering him on as he (somehow) makes it in the bowl.

The smile on my face quickly faded when a new picture popped in my head. Parker, as a grown man, farting while pinching off the last of his pee.

---------------------------
"Words of wisdom are a stream that flows from a deep fountain." Proverbs 18:4

Learning to Read

2009-07-15T13:15:00.000-07:00

We've been working on and off with Parker trying to teach him how to recognize words; he has flashcards, his own mini computer my sister bought him for Christmas, we test his memory while reading his books, or we just use his Magna Doodle or pen and paper to write out letters/words. My Dad (a teacher) recently referred me to some websites that help children learn to read. Whoa! They are so much fun for him (and easier, too)! He loves his little kid computer, but he still has a hard time manipulating through the games without our help. The websites my Dad sent me are not just teaching him how to read, but also boosting his computer skills. I usually let him type on the computer once a day or so; he chats on Facebook (my poor friend John usually gets chosen for this), he writes emails, or I'll just open WordPad and let him go for it. The mouse skills; however, have been a little more difficult to teach. Until now!

I've been so excited watching Parker using these websites that I thought it would be nice to share them with my fellow mom bloggers:

Starfall is our favorite site so far because it builds up the skills slowly, it's very interactive, and it's the best one for his age (not quite 2.5). Within just a couple of play sessions, Parker is now able to move the mouse and click on items all by himself! It makes him feel more independent and he is as proud of himself as we are of him. The bright colors are fun and help to keep his attention. I haven't tried to see how long he would sit and play, but I imagine it would be a LONG time. I usually limit it to about a half an hour though.

Cbeebies is geared toward slightly older children, I think, and isn't really helpful for beginner readers. It's also a bit more confusing to manuever through the website. It does have lots of games/activities, but again, probably will be better for Parker in another 6 months to a year.

E-Learning For Kids is neat because it's more than just reading, but we'll try utilizing it more when Parker is older. We've tried playing some of the games and he does OK with counting, but adding and other math is too tricky for him just yet. The worst part is the annoying little robot dog that takes FOREVER to go through his speeches. Parker gets a little restless and I usually want to reach through the screen and put a muzzle on the ugly little yapper. Haha!

A fellow named Mike McQueen who found me on Mom Bloggers Club also sent me his website: Getting Boys to Read. It's not geared toward teaching kids skills so much as it is full of articles and tips for parents to help them understand boys and what gets them excited (or not so excited) about reading.

Do any of you folks know of more websites out there like these? Please leave me a comment or send me an email. I'd love to check them out!

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"Teach your children right from wrong, and when they are grown they will still do right." Proverbs 22:6

Perfect End to our Nice Summer Day!

2009-07-11T19:26:00.000-07:00

P's first ice cream cone!

100 Push Up Challenge

2009-07-10T07:00:00.000-07:00

Mommy-Momo turned me on to this 100 Push Ups in 6 weeks Challenge going around the blogging world.

At first I thought, "yeah, right." But then I was curious to see how many I could do. I was able to complete 15 regular style. I was bummed. 15? How would I ever be able to do 100? When I read the challenge from onehundredpushups.com more completely, I discovered that using a variety of push-up methods still counted. I found that if I did them with the knees down and using fists instead of palms (I have a wrist injury from awhile back), I could do 30! That's twice as many as the regular style. From that point on, I was hooked. I can do this! I think.

I've noticed that quite a few people have been videotaping their push-ups, so I thought it'd be fun to do the same...

(OK, not really. This is Parker, of course, aiming for 100 push-ups as well). ;)

Doing more reading on the website, I discovered there were also programs for two-hundred sit-ups and two-hundred squats. Whoa boy, you'd better believe I'm trying those as well!

My initial squat testing surprised me. I did 70 and only stopped because my knees hurt a little. I suspected I might be doing them incorrectly, but I double-checked my form and I'm pretty sure I was doing them right? Not too shabby, I think (for me anyway).

My initial sit-up testing also surprised me, but in the respect that I could only do 25 in a row! Yikes! I thought with all my pilates work that my stomach muscles would be pretty strong. Looks like I have some more work to do!

This work out program couldn't have come around at a better time. It's much easier to do than work out videos when Parker's awake (although I'm still trying to do those as well). Parker's sleep schedule has changed and he's been going to bed later so it hasn't been feasible for me to do my night walk/runs. I don't have a jogging stroller so I can't run with Parker during the day, and really, it's usually been way too hot to even just walk during the day. So I've mostly been doing videos in the morning before the true heat hits, but even that's difficult with Parker around. He usually wants to do them too, which would be fine if he weren't always right where I needed to be. If I'm doing any type of cardio requiring me to move around, he's always right there. If I take out a mat to do pilates floor work/yoga, forget it! He wants to be on it, too. He's so cute though; how could I be upset? Watch him do his own work-out below!

But after yesterday and realizing that exercising first thing in the morning messes up my day, I'm going to have to try moving my exercise to a different time of day again. Too bad I'm usually pooped and just want to veg out by the time P's nap comes around. Oh well, if it happens, it happens. If it doesn't - well it's better to be happy and a little out of shape than thin and cranky!

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"Be happy and shout to God who makes us strong!" - Psalm 81:1

Thankful Thursday

2009-07-09T09:03:00.000-07:00

Ah, I can feel it. Today is going to be a MUCH better day! I've been trying to exercise in the morning before the heat hits and it's always a rush to get everything in so I can finally eat and get on with the day and the rest of the chores. Today I decided to let my body rest. I ate breakfast at a reasonable hour, drank my tea, Bible study and prayer, and put on my calming girly music. Some Joni, some Mazzy, some Norah, some Fiona... yes! It's going to be a much better day, and for that, I'm thankful. I think that perhaps exercising in the morning just doesn't suit me. It messes up my whole aura for the day. I need to start with calm and food and time with Jesus and ease into everything at a slower pace. My soul needs its nourishment first, I guess!

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"I offer you my heart, Lord God, and I trust you." Psalm 25:1

"Show my your paths and teach me to follow; guide me by your truth and instruct me. You keep me safe, and I always trust you." Psalm 25:4-5

Camera Woes

2009-07-08T07:00:00.000-07:00

For anyone who didn't see this post, P's diaper bag was taken from the trunk of our car in May and our camera was inside it. Well, shortly after this incident, Jake's brother Andy offered us an extra camera he had. It is an older Canon, but I thought it took nicer pictures than my newer camera did. Unfortunately, my computer won't recognize his camera so I am unable to load pictures from the camera to the computer. After learning this, Jake's mom decided to get herself a new one and gave us her old one. It is basically the same as our old one, but a step above I think. I spent a lot of time trying to learn how to use it and took quite a few pictures in the process. I think I wore it out! The day I first made the Peanut Butter Banana Muffins, the camera decided to start taking pictures that look like this:

I think God was sending me a message to stop trying to capture every moment on film and instead actually live in the moment; to spend more time worshiping Him and loving and enjoying my family. So for the past month or so I've been taking that lesson to heart and remembering that life is not about capturing every moment and blogging about it!

There's one catch. The video camera function on the camera still works. Weird, huh? So, you'll probably be seeing more videos on the blog to make up for the lack of pictures. I guess God is allowing me to slowly wean off my blogging addiction this way. :)
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"Nothing is as wonderful as knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have given up everything else and count it all as garbage. All I want is Christ and to know that I belong to him." Philippians 3:8-9

Conversations with Parker: Lessons

2009-07-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

~The Truth Hurts~

Dada: "OK Buddy, I'm going to work now. Are you going to miss me?"

Parker: "No. I'll just play with my cars."

Lesson: Don't ask your child a question unless you can handle the truth.

~Substituting Words~

Parker (pulling on the crotch of his PJ pants): I have a fudgie.

Mama: A what? A fudgie? You mean a wedgie?

Parker: Yes, a fudgie.

Lesson: Fudge in the pants is uncomfortable.

~Idioms~

If there's anything we can learn from our children, it's the words and phrases we ourselves say often without even realizing it.

Parker's latest idiom: "or somethin'." He uses it quite often, and, somehow, always appropriately. It made me wonder where he picked it up. Then I started to pay attention to how often I used it. Quite a lot, actually. Whenever he wants an explanation for something, I almost always end my explanation with "or somethin'." Oops! I sound really intelligent!

Coming from a two year-old, though, it's quite disarming (and amusing)! Here's an example of Parker using it:

Mama: "Hey Parker, look at the airplane in the sky! Do you see it?"

Parker: "Yes!"

Mama: "Where do you think it's going?"

Parker: "To visit the cars."

Mama: "Oh yeah? Which cars?"

Parker: "The blue ones and red ones, or somethin'"

Lesson: Watch what you say around your kids, dag nabbit!

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"You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." John 8:32

Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

2009-07-03T07:00:00.000-07:00

My friend Kristin shared this recipe with me from Deceptively Delicious and I had to share it with you. They are so yummy that I have made them twice already! The best part is the hint she shared with me. Wrap them up and freeze them! Microwave them for 20 seconds and you're good to go. I love these for a special treat for my son, or lazy mornings I'll share a half with him and we'll eat it with fruit and yogurt. But I have to call them cupcakes, not muffins, or Parker won't eat them. Of course.

OK, so I admit that I added one bonus non-deceptive ingredient: mini chocolate chips. I had them on hand and thought it would be cute to make a smiley face on each one.

Ingredients:
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar.
1/2 cup natural peanut butter (edit: or you can substitute with something like almond butter... yum)
1/2 cup carrot or cauliflower puree (I just used one of those carrot baby food jars)
1/2 cup banana puree (about 2 ripe bananas smashed)
1 large egg white (I just put the whole egg in... kids can handle a little cholesterol, right?)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
(optional) Handful mini chocolate chips (or just decorative on top)

Edit: Other ingredients I've tried with success:
(optional) 1 tbsp ground flax seed
(optional) 1 tbsp fiber powder

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 Degrees Fahrenheit. Coat 12 cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray or line with muffin tins.

In a large bowl, mix the brown sugar, peanut butter (or substitute), purees and the egg with a wooden spoon.

Put the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a ziploc bag or bowl and mix. Add to the peanut butter mixture and stir until just combined.

Divide the batter into the muffin cups. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on rack.

Hint: After cooling, wrap each muffin with saran wrap, and then put them all in a gallon freezer bag before freezing them. Then you can take them out of the bag one at a time as needed. They don't stay as fresh without the bag. But be sure to sample at least one of them fresh from the oven... just to make sure they're good. ;)

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"When I told you my troubles, you answered my prayers." Psalm 119:26

"I obey your word instead of following a way that leads to trouble. You have been my teacher, and I won't reject your instructions. Your teachings are sweeter than honey. They give me understanding and make me hate all lies." Psalm 119:101-104

Thankful Thursday: I Love My Hubby

2009-07-02T13:45:00.000-07:00

I know I've been neglecting my Thankful Thursday blogs! But today is a very special edition of Thankful Thursday, dedicated to my husband:

I'm thankful my hubby ate my meatloaf on Monday.

I'm thankful my hubby has been coming home happier this week, despite the meatloaf.

I'm thankful my hubby appreciated Tuesday's meal with Wednesday leftovers even more after Monday's meatloaf.

I'm thankful my hubby loves us so much!

I'm thankful that my hubby can still be silly with me.

I'm thankful for our date nights each week. Yes, we generally say no TV or computers on date night, but we made an exception last night because we had to use YouTube in order to learn the Three Amigos "My Little Buttercup" dance. Yes folks, you read that right, we spent the evening trying to learn a silly dance. And here's the evidence (that is, evidence that we may need to spend a few more date nights working on it to get it down):

And I'm really thankful that he will eventually forgive me for posting this on the internet.
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"Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them" - Colossians 3:19

Parker's First Cut with the Clippers

2009-07-01T09:00:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday

Fun Video Friday: Playing With The Camera

2009-06-26T13:30:00.000-07:00

(FB users click View Original Post to see video)

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"The poor have a hard life, but being content is as good as an endless feast." Proverbs 15:15

I Ate Shampoo

2009-06-23T15:30:00.000-07:00

Yes, that's right. I had a dream last night about eating shampoo. It was blue. I think it was Pert Plus, the old school flavor. I mean, color.

I was so grossed out that I made myself wake up before I did something stupid like washing it down with milk (I'm lactose intolerant).

But it got me thinking about all the strange stuff I used to consume when I was a kid:

The weird weed in my neighbor's yard that we called sauerkraut. My mom freaked out every time she caught us chewing on it. "At least wash it first! There could be cat pee on there!"

Bubble gum. Yes, that's right. I chewed AND swallowed it. Regularly.

Play Doh. But only the red flavor. I mean, color.

My toenails. I'd probably still do it if I were flexible enough.

Boogers. I tease my older sister about her booger collection on the ceiling (we shared the top bunk), but at least she didn't eat them.

Dog bone cookies. I don't think it was a dare, either.

Fish eyes. OK, that wasn't me. That was my best friend's weird brother.

Brown bread.

And there's nothing as refreshing as a big glass of pickle juice.

All that and my mother said I was a picky eater. Pshaw! As if.

Happy Anniversary!

2009-06-20T20:38:00.001-07:00

Love ya, hunny bunny!

Our Adventurous Day

2009-06-17T16:05:00.000-07:00

Today started out as any normal Wednesday. Parker woke up when the garbage truck arrived, and Dada graciously got out of bed and brought him to the window to watch. A while later, I finally dragged myself out of bed and we went to work with our normal morning routine.

Parker played while I got started on laundry, we went outside to watch Dada leave for work, went back in to eat breakfast, Parker read while I did Bible study and drank my tea, and then we got ready to go to the park.

Upon starting my car and smelling the stale noxious air, I remembered that I still needed to buy a new air conditioning filter. I had no idea where a Kragen or other auto store was, but something told me to take the freeway to get to the "dinosaur" park today instead of side streets. At the exit, lo and behold, there was a Kragen right there. They didn't have my air filter in stock, but directed me to another Kragen up the road that had one. Yes! An unplanned chore done! Well, partly done anyway. Still need to install it.

Then, we finally headed to the our original destination. We had lots of fun exploring the park and playing in the turtle fountains. Parker shared his crackers with some little blackbirds. Actually, there were small blackbirds, and then slightly fatter brownish blackbirds. I immediately thought the bigger browner ones were females and the males were the smaller black ones. Why did I think that? Well, the bigger ones would stand right next to a piece of cracker and make a loud racket until a smaller blackbird would come pick it up and put it in the bigger bird's mouth. At least two pairs of these birds did this. I thought it was a little sweet, but pretty comical, too. Those bossy, demanding females, making the males their slaves! After doing some research online, I confirmed my suspicions. They are Brewer's Blackbirds. The females are the larger, browner, bossy ones.

Speaking of females, this morning I read Ecclesiastes and I'm fairly convinced whomever the author is (many believe it is Solomon, some think it was one of his brothers, but ultimately we don't really know), that he must have been scarred by some women. I laughed out loud at this passage, "... I do know there is one good man in a thousand, but never have I found a good woman." (Ecclesiastes 7:28) We women are blamed for the original sin. We've been bossy from the very beginning. Eve told Adam to eat, and he did. These female birds tell the males to feed them, and they do. I find it more than a little hilarious. I think God does, too. He was the one who created us, after all. "Think of what God has done! If God makes something crooked, can you make it straight?" - Ecclesiastes 7:13

Even children recognize who's really in charge. This past Sunday, after Parker woke up from his nap and I took some chicken out of the freezer to defrost, I suggested we all go to the park for a little bit. I asked Jake what he thought and he said, "Parker's the boss." Parker turned right around and said, "I'm not the boss. Mama's the boss!" He's no fool.

OK, so I went off on a tangent there.

Back to the present day. We got home from the park and I noticed that the two plants on our front entry could use a little watering. Parker loves to help us water the plants so off we went to fill a water jug. Parker helped me water one of the plants and then we went on to the next one. I foolishly let him stay on my left, closest to the stairs. After we were done, he stood back up and lost his footing. I was horrified to see him start to tumble down the stairs. His butt went down first, then he flipped over head first down another step. I shouted, "Oh my God, oh my God, help!" And He did. Parker just stopped tumbling. It was a miracle. He had only fallen down two of the fifteen stairs. I scooped him up and held onto him tightly, probably more scared than he was. I thanked Jesus and after we were back inside and I was able to calm down a little, we said a little prayer together thanking the Lord for keeping Parker from falling any further down the stairs. So far, I haven't found even a single scratch on him, and hopefully there's nothing hurt internally.

Now Parker is napping and I'm thinking that although he really wanted to help me install the air filter in my car later, that maybe we've had enough adventures for one day, thank you very much. I think I'm gonna pull rank and make Dada do it.
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For some laughs, here are some more UNinspiring (and yes, way out-of-context) quotes from Ecclesiastes:

"Nothing makes sense!" - Ecclesiastes 1:2

"All of life is far more boring than words could ever say." Ecclesiastes 1:8

"The more you know, the more you hurt; the more you understand, the more you suffer." Ecclesiastes 1:18

"Wise or foolish, we all die and are soon forgotten." - Ecclesiastes 2:16

"Don't be surprised if the poor of your country are abused, and injustice takes the place of justice." - Ecclesiastes 5:8

"... There is no end to books, and too much study will wear you out." - Ecclesiastes 12:12

I truly believe that books of the Bible should be read as a whole to fully grasp the context. It's easy to misconstrue single verses and manipulate them to read how you want. I just showed you how I did it! Maybe it'll hearten you to read Ecclesiastes, though. ;) Happy Wednesday!

Thankful Thursday

2009-06-11T13:55:00.000-07:00

I'm thankful we got to spend time with my family in lovely (cough)sulfur water(cough) Hanford, CA.

I'm thankful we got to witness Lily Bean's first steps!

I'm thankful we also got to witness the murder of her birthday cake... see it here!

I'm thankful my sisters worked things out. I'm the mediator 'cause I'm the middle sister. ;)

I'm thankful Parker did an awesome job with such a long drive - both ways!

I'm thankful God kept us safe on the road. Lots of crazy drivers out there (yes, I'm one of them).

And I'm very thankful for Tension Tamer tea. It actually works, thank goodness! This morning I was feeling it in my neck and back and I couldn't shake it off. It made for a very rough morning. I had to pray silently several times to help avoid huge blow-ups with Parker. I notice that Thursdays are often our most difficult days for some reason (so it's probably a good thing that Thursdays are my thankful reflection days, helps me get my head and heart back in the right place)... anyway, I saw this tea at the grocery store and thought it was worth a shot. Maybe it's psychosomatic, but I could feel the muscles in my neck relax after just a few minutes of drinking the tea. It worked better than taking an Ibuprofen! I couldn't even turn my neck to the left this morning without pain, and now, nearly four hours after drinking the tea, I can still move it freely. The tea tastes kinda funky, though. Next time it's getting blasted with honey!
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"I am the Lord your God. I am holding your hand, so don't be afraid. I am here to help you." Isaiah 41:13

Fun Video Friday: Playing Dada's Bass Guitar

2009-06-05T11:00:00.000-07:00

Watch Parker sing a made-up song while playing bass, and then call himself, "silly Parker." As if he really had to clarify that...

(FB users click View Original Post to see video)

Sorry, Lord, I Blew It Again

2009-06-03T14:57:00.000-07:00

About a month ago, Parker and I were on our way out somewhere and before we left we walked to the community mailboxes in our complex to drop off some outgoing mail and pick up the mail from the day before. Along the way, I noticed a woman on a crutch, carrying some binders with her one free hand. Alongside her walked a little girl around Parker's age. I was carrying a few bags myself and trying to keep Parker from running away from me, but even now, I feel bad about not putting down my things and asking her if I could help. My burden could have been put down, but hers couldn't.

Nearly every day I think of her and how I failed to do the right thing.

This morning, I prayed specifically and asked God to give me the opportunity to help someone today and honor Him.

Later this morning, Parker and I were sitting and eating a snack outside our local library when a man in a wheelchair stopped nearby the library doors. I moved to get up and offer to help him with the very heavy (and non ADA compliant) doors, but hesitated. There was a rack of 10 cent books right where he stopped and it appeared as though he might be looking at them. I was afraid of looking like an idiot if he didn't even need help. I decided to wait and see if he would roll towards the doors and then I would get up and offer to help. He didn't move. About a minute later, a man walked up and started entering the doors and the man in the wheelchair asked if he would hold the door for him. He hadn't been looking at the books. He had been waiting patiently for someone to come by and help him. I had been less than 20 feet from him. I could have helped him. But I let fear of embarrassment take over. What's the worst that could have happened? He would have said, "no thanks?"

Lord, please forgive me. You answered my prayer, and I failed to fulfill it.
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"Then the ones who pleased the Lord will ask, 'When did we give you something to eat or drink? When did we welcome you as a stranger or give you clothes to wear or visit you while you were sick or in jail?' The king will answer, 'Whenever you did it for any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did it for me.'" - Matthew 25:37-40

"My friends, what good is it to say you have faith, when you don't do anything to show that you really do have faith? Can that kind of faith save you? If you know someone who doesn't have any clothes or food, you shouldn't just say, 'I hope all goes well for you. I hope you will be warm and have plenty to eat.' What good is it to say this, unless you do something to help? Faith that doesn't lead us to do good deeds is all alone and dead!" - James 2:14-17

Conversations With P-Man: Days of the Week

2009-06-01T08:15:00.000-07:00

This morning I was in the kitchen making some tea and I could hear Parker in the living room reciting the days of the week. Well, some of them anyway....

Parker: "Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Wednesday, da day, Sat-UR-day!"

Mama: "Where'd you pick that up? Do you know what days of the week are?"

Parker: "Yes!"

Mama: "What day is today?"

Parker: "Monday!" Big grin.

Mama (surprised): "It IS Monday! How did you know that? Hmm.... what day was yesterday?"

Parker: "Monday!"

Mama: "What day is tomorrow?"

Parker: "Monday."

Mama: "Yeah, that's what I figured."

Fun Video Friday: Playing

2009-05-29T09:40:00.000-07:00

Some of you have asked me where I've been... Mommy-Momo even asked if I was OK... *laugh* Don't worry, I've just been trying to spend less time on the computer and change my priorities around a bit. God first, then family, and THEN self indulgence. ;)

Here are a couple of videos to satiate you for a little longer. This first one is Parker playing with some coffee cups he collected with Grandma and Grandpa.

I was in the kitchen making dinner one night while Parker was playing and I kept hearing him repeat something over and over. Watch what he was saying in the next video. Too funny! Oh, and sorry about the naked bum. Unavoidable potty learning side-effect.

(FB users click View Original Post to see videos)

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I love this biblical example of forgiveness. Even after everything he went through because of what his step-brothers did, Joseph was able to forgive and found the good in the bad.

"Yes, I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt. Don't worry or blame yourselves for what you did. God is the one who sent me ahead of you to save lives." Genesis 45:4-5

And The Survivor Award Goes To:

2009-05-25T10:48:00.000-07:00

I recently read that The Obnoxious SAHM recently had her first overnight break from her kids in 6 years! I couldn't believe it. I decided that she deserved a medal. Since I couldn't really give her a medal, I decide to create a blogger award for her instead. In honor of every mother who deserves a break once in awhile, here is her award:

May God bless her with many more breaks from here on out!

Today's Conversation with P-Man: Dinnertime

2009-05-22T17:19:00.000-07:00

Mama: "Parker, do you want some cornbread? And beans?

P, playing intensely with his cars: "No!" Then thinks a sec. "Cornbread?"

Mama: "Yeah, you want beans and cornbread?"

P: "No! Cornbread. Just cornbread!" *emits long fart* "AND beans!"

Fun Video Friday: Counting Piano Keys

2009-05-22T07:00:00.000-07:00

Parker makes us laugh every time he counts. He's starting to count into the twenties now, but he skips numbers and then goes back to them. He regularly skips 13-15 and 20-21 for some reason. So it usually goes something like this:

(FB users, click on View Original Post to watch video)

Thankful Thursday: Part Two

2009-05-21T13:28:00.001-07:00

I wanted to expand on my Thankful Thursday today since I'm feeling pretty down right now. Parker's diaper bag was stolen from the trunk of our car today. I'm guessing that the trunk button on my keys got pushed down while in my very full purse and it popped open while we were shopping. I wanted to write some thoughts out to help me forgive the person who took it, as well as try to turn it around in a positive light.

I'm thankful that even as our bag was being taken, I was at Children's Orchard (like a Goodwill for kids' stuff) buying a bigger diaper bag since our old one was being stretched to the limits. Ironic, no? I was going to use the old one as my new purse since my purse is also being stretched to the limits (obviously), but I guess it just wasn't meant to be.

I'm thankful that Parker accidentally left his favorite toy truck in his Grandpa's car yesterday - otherwise it probably would have been in his bag and I wouldn't hear the end of it. As it is, he threw a fit about it being missing this morning and fortunately Grandma sent him these nice pictures showing how much fun Hummer was having at their place. They made him smile:

I'm thankful that we were in a rush to get out the door for P's dental appointment this morning or else we might have put more of Parker's favorite cars in the bag. He keeps track of them all so he'd know if they were missing.

I'm bummed that P's guitar bottom jammies from his auntie were in the bag, but thankful that we had the top safe at home at least.

I'm thankful that even though the new toilet seat thingamajigger we bought was in there, that it didn't work well anyway and now I have an excuse to buy a different one that hopefully works better.

I'm thankful that even though there were $80 worth of Target groceries in the trunk, they didn't touch any of those or anything else of value (like his strollers).

I'm bummed our camera was inside the bag, but thankful that I recently transferred a big bunch of pics over to my computer and there were only a few new pics on there that we'll never see again.

And I'm especially thankful that Parker is being very sweet and understanding about the whole thing. He had a little piano toy in there that he got with Gma and Gpa at Wendy's yesterday. Shortly after we got home he started looking for the bag and asking for the piano. I started crying a little as I was explaining to him what happened. He didn't cry or get upset but got a concerned look on his face and said a few times, "Somebody took the piano away. That's not nice!" And he keeps coming up to me to give me hugs and telling me he loves me because he's concerned that "mama's crying." What a sweetie!

OK, I'm feeling much better now and not quite as violated. The very human part of me hopes that person feels a little guilty when he or she sees Parker's cute face on that camera. But I'm also hopeful that the person who took the bag was in real need and finds use for the items inside (or at least gives them to someone who will).

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"Peter came up to the Lord and asked, 'How many times should I forgive someone who does something wrong to me? Is seven times enough?' Jesus answered: 'Not just seven times, but seventy-seven times!'" Matthew 18:22

"Whenever you stand up to pray, you must forgive what others have done to you. Then your Father in heaven will forgive your sins." Mark 11:25-26

"There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land." Deuteronomy 15:11.

Thankful Thursday

2009-05-21T07:00:00.000-07:00

I'm so thankful I can see prayers coming true.

I'm so thankful for God's forgiveness. He knows I need it!

I'm so thankful for "date night" each week. Love ya, hunny bunny!

I'm so thankful for wild birds. Their singing brings me joy every day (well, maybe not at 6:00 am, but still).

I'm so thankful for the little bits of beauty I still find in the world each day. Sarah, I know they're hard to find in people sometimes, but they're there, I promise!

I'm so thankful for God's reminder to me not to worry.

I'm so thankful for my beautiful niece turning 1 and Parker and I getting to see her and family soon!

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"I thank you from my heart, and I will never stop singing your praises, my Lord and my God." Psalms 30:12

Wordless Wednesday: Blair Witch Parker

2009-05-20T16:00:00.000-07:00

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"If you honor the Lord, his angel will protect you. Discover for yourself that the Lord is kind. Come to him for protection, and you will be glad." Psalms 34:7-8

Show and Tell Tuesday: Making Crayons

2009-05-19T12:39:00.000-07:00

I know you're thinking, "What on earth is Parker doing with a tampon?" Well, for awhile now, Jake has been making homemade crayons out of scrap crayons. "Why?" You ask. I'm not completely sure, but he seems to enjoy it. I've heard of making candles out of scrap crayons before, but not crayons out of crayons.

"What does all of this have to do with tampons?" You ask. Well, Jake's always looking for different ways to make the crayons, and on this particular day I set down an almost full box of tampons in front of Jake and jokingly asked him if he knew anyone with a leaky boat. I had bought generic tampons and quickly discovered that brand does matter in this case. I felt bad just throwing them out though. Well, my resourceful husband quickly snatched them up and decided to try using the casings to make a "new" batch of crayons.

Eww, I know. Sorry.

Here are some of the latest creations. Aren't the colors, um... pretty?

This is to show that maybe, just maybe, I'm not the weirdest one in the family after all.

Baked Salmon

2009-05-18T18:29:00.000-07:00

I'm always trying different ways to prepare salmon, and I really liked how this one turned out, so I decided to share this really simple recipe. Jake hates fish and P-man barely tolerates it, but they both managed to somehow choke this down. I don't get the turn-off, personally, because it's one of my favorite meals! Yum!

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons canola oil (or light olive oil)
2 cloves garlic, minced (or 1 tablespoon garlic salt and omit extra salt)
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped (or 1/2 tsp dried)
2 fillets salmon

Directions:

In a medium glass bowl, mix all ingredients except salmon. Remove skin from salmon (helps prevent that overly fishy taste) and place fillets in bowl with marinade and flip and scrape to cover. (Optional: marinate in the refrigerator about 1 hour, turning occasionally).
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Place fillets in aluminum foil and seal. Place sealed salmon in a glass dish and bake 35 to 45 minutes, until easily flaked with a fork.

Ironing Irony

2009-05-12T18:55:00.000-07:00

I finally got around to that ironing, and look what I found while ironing one of my shirts:

It figures.

Of course, I admit that I buy cheap clothing. Twenty-five years from now none of my clothing from today will ever show up in a vintage clothing store.

Show & Tell Tuesday

2009-05-12T15:00:00.000-07:00

For something a little different, I thought it would be fun to participate in Jenny's Show and Tell Tuesday.

I decided to take and share pictures of a couple of my least favorite tasks of the day.

Ironing.

OK, so this is really yesterday's chore rolled into today's chore. Hopefully it won't roll over into tomorrow's as well.

And...

Stirring a new jar of peanut butter.

As I opened the jar with a knot of dread in my stomach, I made a silent vow to not make a mess "this time," but I'm just not that talented, I guess.

I briefly debated taking a picture of Parker's poo-poo in the potty (second day in a row!) for Show and Tell today, but decided that no one needs (wants) to see that. :)

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"You are like light for the whole world. A city built on top of a hill cannot be hidden, and no one would light a lamp and put it under a clay pot. A lamp is placed on a lampstand, where it can give light to everyone in the house. Make your light shine, so that others will see the good that you do and will praise your Father in heaven." Matthew 5: 14-16

Message From Dada

2009-05-09T07:50:00.000-07:00

It's been a rough Saturday. P woke up early soaked from head to toe in pee. I cleaned him and his bed up and tried to get him to go back to sleep, but my poor sick boy's cough was keeping him awake. Then, while eating breakfast, P had a huge coughing fit that caused him to throw up. My poor boy. :(

Dada not only had to go in to work today, but he had to go in early. Parker was delighted to find that Dada had left him a special note. Here's a video of Parker reading it:

Thank you, Dada! You helped brighten our day. We love you. :O*

(FB users click on View Original Post to see video)

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"Jesus said to his disciples: I tell you not to worry about your life! Don't worry about having something to eat or wear. Life is more than food or clothing. Look at the crows! They don't plant or harvest, and they don't have storehouses or barns. But God takes care of them. You are much more important than any birds." Luke 12:22-24

Grandpa, Grandpa, He's Our Man!

2009-05-08T07:00:00.000-07:00

Fun Video Friday

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"At that same time, Jesus felt the joy that comes from the Holy Spirit, and he said: 'My Father, Lord of heaven and earth, I am grateful that you hid all this from wise and educated people and showed it to ordinary people. Yes, Father, that is what pleased you. My Father has given me everything, and he is the only one who knows the Son. The only one who really knows the Father is the Son. But the Son wants to tell others about the Father, so that they can know him too.'" Luke 10:21-22

Thankful Thursday

2009-05-07T16:00:00.000-07:00

This has been a tough day. Well, actually a tough week.

One of P's two-year molars finally started cutting through his gums. I think he actually feels better now, though.

He's had a yucky cold which has meant less sleep (for all of us) and lots of...

Boogers boogers everywhere,
Boogers boogers in our hair!

I'm trying hard to ward the cold off, but my throat has been sore and scratchy the last couple of days.

Dada's had to work late every night this week, and he's working Saturday. Poor guy.

I've mentioned this on Facebook, but I've been so puffy and bloated feeling from PMS that I've actually woken up in the middle of the night thinking about it, and mentally making up poems about it. Per my little sister's request, here are a couple of the silly poems I do remember from that night I woke up. They're haiku's for you.

Puffy hands and feet.
My face is full of pimples.
Stop torturing me!

Pickles and ho-ho's,

My appetite's a bit strange.
Say, here comes Aunt flo!

Today I started my period (at least there's some relief from the PMS) after just finishing two weeks ago (my last period lasted two weeks).

I burned my right hand and wrist with a cup of tea this morning.

But, with God's help we're getting by (literally... I've been praying a lot and reading the Bible a lot for strength, patience, and encouragement). It has really helped. I can say that I've definitely had more patience this week than most. And there have, thankfully, been some great things that have happened this week, too! Here are some things I'm thankful for this week:

I'm thankful that the tough things this week have all been little things. There are WAY worse things that could be happening to us.

I'm thankful for the new books my parents sent for Parker. He LOVES them. And one of them, in particular, has just been the perfect metaphor for this week. It is a book of cute poems titled, "Oops!" Here's a sample poem from "Oops!"

FEVER ACHIEVER
I've got a thermometer in my mouth
because Mom says I'm sick. It
is better to have it north than south
(where she wanted to stick it!).

I'm thankful to have discovered our monthly house payment even with taxes, mello roos and association fees will be less than our current rent.

I'm thankful our air conditioning is working.

I'm thankful Parker has been doing so well with potty learning, even while not feeling his best.

I'm thankful Parker and I have found lots of reasons to giggle and laugh this week.

I'm thankful for my parents' generous gift into P's college fund (for no special reason than just because).

and I'm also thankful for all the cute moments we've had that I remembered to journal...

One morning I was reading my Bible and drinking my tea and Parker became very interested, of course, and kept coming over to see what I was reading. When I was done drinking my tea, I asked him if he wanted to pray with me. He was very excited about it and closed his eyes and folded his hands, as though he'd done it a thousand times. It was so cute. After our prayer and saying "Amen," he got off my lap and walked away saying something about Jesus. A few minutes later, he was asking to pray with me again, so this time I asked him to say the prayer. It was short and sweet and ended with an "Amen!"

Another time we were folding laundry and P-man picked up one of my bras and put it around one of his shoulders. Here was the ensuing conversation:

P: "I'm wearing Mama's underwear!"
Me: *laugh* "That's my bra."
P: "This goes on Mama's boobies."
Me: "Um, Yes. Yes it does."

One day Parker was playing with his "cool" orange car and he would get up and run a short distance saying, "I'll be right back." Then he'd pretend he was getting a tool from Dada's toolbox and would run back to the car and pretend to "fix the battery." He then started talking to me:

P: "He's got hash pipes!"
Me: "What?!?"
P: "Hash pipes."
Me: "Oh, exhaust pipes?"
P: "YES! Hash pipes."

We were out driving today and Parker pointed to a stop sign.

P: "P-O-T-S spells stop!"
Me: *laugh* "S-T-O-P spells stop, silly! You read it backwards!"

Potty Learning Adventures

2009-05-06T09:00:00.000-07:00

*= sarcasm*Oh man, this is FUN!*/sarcasm*

Parker has been using the potty since about 15 months, but only recently when the hot weather hit did we decide maybe we should try it full force and actually try to get him to stop wearing diapers during the day. For two days I let him run around the place bottomless.

The first two days went way better than I expected, except he did poop on the carpet. *laugh* It was easier to clean up than later when he pooped in the underwear. One of the two days I had moved his potty chair into the living room for quick access and by the end of the day it was quite full. One minute I was thinking I should move the chair back into the restroom and clean it up and sure enough the next minute Parker completely tripped over the thing and knocked concentrated pee all over the carpet. Eeek!

He gets a sticker every time he uses the potty, and at some point in time he started collecting them on his dresser. As you can see, he's got quite the collection (it's grown quite a bit since this picture even).

He likes to put the stickers next to other similar stickers. Here are a few samples of his different "groups."

The third day of our potty learning adventure we had the trip to Disneyland and I just planned on him being in diapers and giving it a break so that we could just concentrate on having fun. We were surprised to find out that he had stayed dry up until after lunch! I felt a little bad because I thought maybe he had held it in. It took some time and effort, but Grandma and I convinced him to use the potty at Disneyland and then just put the diaper back on him. We loaded him up with fluids just in case and he didn't hold it again after that. We were kind of busy the rest of the week so, again, we didn't do the training full-force like the first two days. We tried putting regular underwear on him but he tended to forget when he was wearing them and would just go. I had forgotten that Jake's mom had given us some pull-ups for Christmas and I was afraid to let him outside in just the underwear because of it.

I knew that we'd have to take the potty training outside of the house to ever reach full success, so I eventually remembered the pull-ups and dug them up. We started it up full force again and he's doing awesome! He stayed dry at church on Sunday with the pull-up, but he doesn't often tell us when he has to go. He got really upset when he saw other kids leaving to go potty and the volunteers had to buzz me to come help figure out what was wrong with Drama Llama. I took him to the restroom and he stood up on a stool and went. Fortunately he likes to go "like Dada" because it makes bubbles.

Monday we went to my doctor's appointment and later in the afternoon to Toys R Us and he had the same pull-up on all day! He did well in every public restroom. Unfortunately, public restrooms don't usually have stools so while at Toys R Us I invested in a portable toilet seat cover that folds up and stays in the diaper bag. A couple of incidents of wet knees from being on the ground to help Parker stay on the seat were enough to get me to spend the $9.00. We haven't used it yet so I'm not sure how well it's going to work.

Yesterday, he wore underwear all day (except we put a pull-up on when we went outside for a walk and diapers during nap/quiet times) and we didn't have any accidents! He's getting a little better about telling me if he has to go, but usually it's just me reminding him to go.

Our biggest hurdle so far has been getting him to poop on the toilet. He used to do it quite often in the beginning when it was new and fun, but now he only goes during his quiet time in his crib (AKA his Poop 'N Play). I'm not sure how to change that routine for him. He does it almost every day and has done that since he was really little. He prefers to wait until he's alone and can relax and "let loose." So one day when it was almost quiet time, I set him up on the big toilet and gave him lots of entertainment.

He sat there for 45 minutes with no results. But sure enough it all came out during his quiet time. Any advice/suggestions on the poop thing would be much appreciated!

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"Then he said to his disciples, 'When you welcome even a child because of me, you welcome me. And when you welcome me, you welcome the one who sent me. Whichever one of you is the most humble is the greatest.'" Luke 9:48

Disneyland

2009-05-05T19:45:00.000-07:00

As everyone pretty much knows, we surprised Jake (Dada) for his birthday by taking him to one of his favorite places - Disneyland! I secretly signed him up for the birthday club so we could get him in for free and then invited his family to join us. It was Parker's first time at Disneyland so it was special for that reason, too. He did REALLY well. No fussing or anything.

Um, I went a little overboard with the pictures, I think. I hope you enjoy them anyway!

Waiting for the train, our first "ride" of the day.

Small World. Looks like I was the only one enjoying it. *laugh* Parker liked it a lot... he just often puts a serious face on when he's absorbing something. Just like his Dada.

Autopia (I think?) .

Buzz Lightyear Ride.

Hubby and I waiting in line for Thunder Mountain.

Parker loved the Jungle Cruise, of course. Even waiting in line!

Parker also had to drive every parked vehicle we came across.

I had been prepping Parker about Winnie the Pooh but he only wanted to see Tigger... who was at the end of a VERY long line near the end of the day. So we faked it and took a picture from the sidelines. :) He enjoyed climbing the honey pots more anyway.

Tony Roma's for dinner!

I think Grandpa was pretty tired.

Uncle Drew and Grandma Connie checking out photos.

Dada gets a free birthday dessert!

All in all it was a great day... and we had two-fer tickets so we'll be going to California Adventures soon!

My First Blogging Award!

2009-05-02T09:51:00.000-07:00

Thanks to The Obnoxious SAHM, I received my first blogging award today! *so excited* I thought it would be fun to pass it along to my top 10 blogger buddies. So, without further ado, I hereby present this award to:

Right back at ya, Obnoxious. She always has such interesting and witty blogs. I always look forward to visiting her page.
My blogger and real-life buddy, Mommy-Momo. She's a regular visitor and always leaves me nice comments.
Jenny W (The Adventures of A Little Dog Named Eloise), a friend who convinced me to start my own blog.
My little sister, who also leaves me fun comments, (if she can remember her log-in information).
My Dad, who taught me my most important life lessons (love of God, love of family, and love of music).
The Capra Clown Car. My neice is such a cute leg biter!
Through Jenny's Lens, who has (IMHO) the loveliest blogging site EVER! I get most of the ideas for my own site from her blog. She takes such beautiful pictures. It's never a dull visit to her page.
Manders, an old high school buddy with two beautiful girls who was the first mommy whose blog I ever saw. She is such a great mommy!
Sarah, another old high school friend. She's a wonderful writer and I always enjoy reading her blurbs. She's a new mommy, too!
And last, but certainly not least, Stacykins, who always posts such funny rants (most of which are on Myspace/Facebook). You need to start blogging more, girl!

I have other dedicated readers/responders who are not fellow bloggers, and I just wanted to let you know that I love you folks too, and I pass a virtual *HUG* your way.

Parker's First Quilt

2009-05-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

There's something very special about a first blanket, especially one made by your grandma. I still have my first blankie that my grandma knitted for me when I was a baby. So when Jake's Grandma Betty asked if she could make a quilt for Parker before he was even born, we were honored and thrilled. Here we are unwrapping it at the baby shower. We loved the music theme!

Two years later, Parker is in love with it just as we were when we first saw it. He pretends to play all the instruments. Below is a video of him playing with it one day.

Thankful Thursday

2009-04-30T07:00:00.000-07:00

I'm thankful for P-man wanting to help me with everything, even if it mostly just slows me down or makes a bigger mess. ;)

Washing Dishes

I'm thankful for Parker's new bath markers and crayons. Getting him in the tub is easy as pie now! The crayons are kinda messy, but it's well worth cleaning the tub every day to have a less stressful bath time experience.

He always asks me to draw "Happy Parker" and "Sad Parker"

I'm thankful for our nice walk to the park and the visit to our old neighbor Carly at her new house.

I'm thankful that Parker is interested in the world around him. Even if that means on every walk/tricycle ride I have to tell him the make and model of every vehicle we pass. *laugh* I'm learning a lot about cars because of this kid.

I'm thankful we are getting closer to owning our own place, and it's going to be brand spanking new! Whoever created laws stating that new developments had to incorporate low-income housing... well, may God bless you! ;)

I'm thankful for Gma and Gpa Munns always helping me with Parker.

And I'm thankful that our place is a little cleaner again... for now.

Peek-A-Boo Blinds

2009-04-29T21:02:00.001-07:00

Wordless Wednesday

Recognizing More Words

2009-04-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

(FB users please click on View Original Post to watch video)

OH MY GOSH!

2009-04-24T04:00:00.000-07:00

My Facebook friends have already seen this, but I just had to blog it as well for those of you who are not on FB and who might also be Huell Howser/California's Gold fans.

Our friend posted a link on FB to this YouTube video:

And this is Dada and Pman watching it:

This post is dedicated to my Dad, AKA Eartaste, AKA Grandpa Soos...

HAPPY TRIPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD!

Late Thankful Thursday

2009-04-23T22:47:00.000-07:00

I got caught up cleaning and what-not today, so this is very late, but at least it's not never.
Does that make any sense?

I'm thankful for a great time at Disneyland for Dada's birthday. The weather was perfect, Parker was a super good boy, and it was lots of fun.
I'm thankful to Jake's family for joining us and helping out so much with Parker at Disneyland.
I'm thankful for the box of books my little sister sent me for no reason other than to share! Whoo-hoo!
I'm thankful Jake was home today and I could get some decent cleaning done while he played with Parker.
I'm thankful Jake's home tomorrow, too!
I'm thankful for Parker coming up to me this evening after dinner and saying out of the blue, "good job making dinner, Mama." What a sweetheart.
I'm thankful Jake caught that the stove burner was left on for a few hours after I made dinner and that I didn't burn the house down. Oops!

Wow, Is That Little Jar of Powder Enough for That Bum-Bum?

2009-04-22T05:00:00.000-07:00

Dada, Parker will be doing this again for you not too long from now - right before he puts us in a nursing home. Cheers to growing old(er)! We love you bunches and bunches!

Happy Birthday!

Jake's face upon seeing this.

Adventure Walk in our Complex

2009-04-21T16:42:00.000-07:00

On one of our adventure walks around the neighborhood, I was trying to capture a picture of a ladybug that P and I were admiring and was not having any luck.

Do you see the ladybug? Didn't think so.

I kept thinking about my sister Sarah and how she's able to get such clear pictures of up close things and it inspired me to try messing around with our camera to see what it could do. I didn't expect much since it's just a cheap little digital thing and there's really no such thing as a manual setting, but I found that if I changed to different pre-set modes, I could get much better results! These photos were taken on a lower quality setting and have been re-sized for faster uploading, but I think they weren't too bad (for me, anyway... these look pathetic next to Sarah's).

Stopping to smell the flowers...

Walking on...

Tried to get the flower AND Parker clear. Didn't work so well.

Look closely. Can you see the bee flying next to the flower?

View from the hill

Just a cool plant

Water grate

Crazy clouds that day

2009-04-19T20:39:00.000-07:00

Parker and I tried a new church today that a friend (and fellow blogger) told me about. It's called The Shoreline and it is held at a local school in San Clemente.

'the shoreline' theme verse:
Then Jesus said to Simon, "Don't be afraid; from now on you will catch men." So they pulled their boats up on the shoreline, left everything and followed him. (Luke 5:10-11)

This church is casual and fun. I was mostly thrilled to discover that they are going through whole books of the Bible, instead of topical preaching. Not that there's anything wrong with topical preaching, but at the moment I am trying to read through the Bible and one of their goals as a church is to read the whole Bible in a year. Our goals match up! There are also lots of opportunities for service and volunteering and getting to know other people. Parker also did really well in the toddler room, even though the service was over an hour and a half long. He seemed to enjoy it as much as I did! I'm excited to go back next week.

Today we read through 1 Samuel 21... and we got homework for the week! Pretty cool. Psalms 34, 52, 54, 56, 57, 59 and 142 were supposedly written during the time frame of 1 Samuel 21. So we are encouraged to read one Psalm each day this next week. It will be neat to line up what David was going through when he was writing different Psalms. Reading through this chapter in 1 Samuel was exciting for me because I recently read through Matthew and the story of the disciples eating grain on the Sabbath was still fresh in my head. That is where Jesus references David eating the holy bread on the Sabbath. I didn't know where in the Bible Jesus was referencing... turns out it's 1 Samuel 21. Hey, whaddya know?

After my last post regarding my spiritual quest, I had several people contact me with advice and encouragement. One thing my Aunt Barbi said to me really hit home. She reminded me that sometimes God uses tools to bring us back to Him, but that the tool isn't necessarily the answer; in other words, God knew I needed a jump start (and kick in the bum) and he may have used Liz and Arlene to bring me back to Him, but that doesn't mean that their religion is His path for me. God works in mysterious ways, right?

Speaking of which, my hubby did some research on the Jehovah's Witnesses and shared some interesting information with me. Some of it doesn't ring true with what Liz and Arlene have already shared with me, and I am very curious to see what they have to say on these different matters, but so far if even half of these things are true, I could never join the Jehovah's Witnesses.

This list lines up closely with what I've already learned about the JW group.
http://www.religioustolerance.org/witness3.htm

This one lists some strange stuff, but not sure how accurate it is.
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/2919/reasons.html

Therapist (and former JW) describes mind control (cult-like tendencies) of JW group.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vISWAgy_emg&feature=related

I know my blogs lately have been kind of serious, but don't worry, I plan to post some more fun P-man stuff soon!

My Spiritual Quest

2009-04-17T10:33:00.000-07:00

I am taking advantage of the little guy being with his Gma and Gpa Munns today and have spent most of the morning reading the Bible and journaling. I had this strong urge to share some things that have been weighing on me lately.

First of all, I have continued my weekly Bible study with Liz and Arlene, two members of the Jehovah's Witness group. I have done so because 1) it is so much easier to understand the Bible and keep reading it when you have people guiding you and encouraging you, 2) these women are warm and friendly and 3) I feel like God led them to me for a reason.

Which leads me to the next issue. My family and friends (this means you) think I'm nuts. That I'm going to get swept up in their way of life. And now I'm beginning to wonder, what's really wrong with that if I do? I understand that they are ridiculed because they go door to door preaching about God (Jehovah) and Jesus and that makes people UNCOMFORTABLE. We want to live our lives the way we choose. What's easy for us. As long as it doesn't hurt anyone else, yadda yadda yadda.

Here's what I know. I was unhappy and lost for a long time. During this time, I often thought about the happiest point in my life and honestly it was during my first years in college when I was active with the Otter Christian Fellowship and studying the Bible. I kept wondering why I was so happy then and not now. I have everything I always wanted. A loving, devoted husband and a beautiful son to share my life with. But something didn't feel right. Something was missing. It was my faith in God. And when these women persisted at knocking on my door, I truly believe something outside of myself let them come inside. And when they started getting me to read the Bible again, it was as though I stumbled across an old friend that I hadn't seen in years and we picked up right where we left off. But now that we realize how much we missed each other and what a great thing our friendship is, we have more reason to keep it strong and not lose each other again.

So I wonder, must not there be more people out there like me? Who might welcome someone, even a stranger, to warmly and humbly guide them to having a personal relationship with God? Isn't that what Jesus preached that we should do? Today I was reading a lot in Acts and so much of what the disciples and Jesus follower's experienced reminds me of the Jehovah's Witnesses. No matter where the disciples went, there were always people who turned to Jesus because of their teachings, and there were always religious leaders that ridiculed Jesus and the disciples. Hmm... interesting. Why is it that the Jehovah's Witnesses are ridiculed, especially by other Christian churches? Well, I'm trying really hard to find out. So far, I have not stumbled across anything that has stood out as unbiblical in their beliefs. Until I do, I see no harm in continuing to read the Bible with them and gaining a stronger relationship with God. In fact, I am strongly considering attending one of their weekly gatherings where I think it would be more clear to me or not whether something doesn't feel spiritually sound.

Depending on what more I find, I just might have to "eat my words" on a previous post. I know my husband is probably upset reading this now and may even be embarrassed by it. But know I still love you hunny and I hope you can accept that I'm trying to change myself not just for me, but so that I can be a better and happier wife and mommy. I'm not saying yet that I will join their group, but I am saying that I have not completely shut that door. All I am asking for is an open heart, love, and compassion while I take this spiritual journey and try to find the right path, God's path, for my life.

Thankful Thursday

2009-04-16T07:00:00.000-07:00

I'm thankful for my new running shoes. Fit like they were custom made for me.
I'm thankful for long walks.
I'm thankful for prayer time with Parker yesterday (a blog for another day).
I'm thankful that my new journal from Sara has already inspired some writing (not poetry though... yet).
I'm thankful our TV is fixed.
I'm thankful for dental insurance. Having a root canal performed today! Boo. Let's hope this one actually makes the pain less instead of worse like the last one.
I'm thankful I'm almost done writing this and I'm not embarrassed to use the toilet in front of my hubby because at the time of writing this, I REALLY have to "go" and he is in our only restroom brushing his teeth. Thank goodness (especially for his sake), it's just number 1.

Easter Sunday

2009-04-13T09:47:00.000-07:00

We had a nice relaxing Easter. We've all been a little under the weather. Not sure if it's a cold or not; it's been mostly sore throats and a little dry coughing (and Dada's been suffering from additional new medication side effects. No fun)! But just in case we're contagious, we opted not to go to church and spread more germs around. Fortunately, although Parker's been coughing all night the last few nights, he's only asked for me once and it was just to "tuck him in." I'm not sure he was even really all the way awake.

Thanks to the Capra's (um, I mean the Easter Bunny), Parker got a really cool Easter Basket! We "hid" it in our room and told him that Baby Jesus and Baby Lily left him a present. I tried to tell him the Easter story beforehand and Dada thought I was crazy. Like a 2 year old is going to understand, right? He certainly understood a present though! He was so excited when he saw it. He wanted to have the truck basket with him all day. I took him on a little trip to the grocery store and he had to bring it there, too. And he wanted it with him in quiet time, too. Very cute.

He loved the Whopper malt eggs!

Opening the card from Cousin Lily.

Getting a glimpse of the monkey in a bunny suit.

Hey, they look alike!

He could do this all day...

Later in the afternoon, Grandma Connie and Grandpa Dan came over to have a BBQ dinner with us. Everything turned out great and we had lots of fun.

Enjoying the meal... wait, what's wrong with this picture?

Parker was so happy to see his Gma and Gpa, and kept thanking them for coming over. He even wanted to go home with them! Fortunately he settled down for bed quickly, pooped out from all the excitement of the day.

Thankful Thursday

2009-04-09T08:47:00.001-07:00

I'm thankful that we live in a beautiful area.

I'm thankful for forgiveness, God's and people's.

I'm thankful for another visit with Christine and Sara.

I'm thankful for their beautiful, thoughtful gifts.

I'm thankful for the sun peeking out.

I'm thankful for my hubby's hard work, at the office and at home.

I'm thankful for God always blessing us with just what we need.

Plates

2009-04-07T07:00:00.000-07:00

I think food is on my mind a lot this week... I found these kids plates at Target in the $1 section awhile back and I just had to share that it was the best buy ever! The sections keep food separated for those kids that don't like different things touching. Granted, we're pretty fortunate that P-man is generally a good eater, but these plates have really helped him to chow down the veggies. See this pic? Look closely at the animals...

About halfway into the meal

He likes putting "eyes" on the animals with different veggies (especially peas). The first time I did it I was afraid of his reaction. Would he be freaked out and not want to eat their eyes? No! He thought that it was really cool and ate them all up! Yay!

Then of course, the other special thing about these plates is the littlest section especially for dipping sauces. He loves salad with uncooked spinach and carrots as long as he gets to dip everything generously into salad dressing! One other thing I've learned about Parker is that if I start out with smaller portions, he is more likely to go at it and eat everything and ask for more. If I put too much on his plate it's almost as though he gets overwhelmed by the amount in front of him. These plates help me remember how small his tummy is!

All done. Not bad!

Chicken Pot Pie

2009-04-06T07:00:00.000-07:00

Another family favorite I thought I'd share. Great comfort food.

Ingredients:

1 chicken breast, cubed
1/2 cup sliced carrots
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 cup chopped potato
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. celery seed
1 14 oz. can chicken broth (or 1 & 3/4 cups)
2/3 cup milk
2 Deep dish 9 inch unbaked pie crusts (frozen or your favorite pie crust recipe from scratch)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F
In saucepan, combine chicken, potatoes, carrots, celery & peas. Add water to cover and boil 15 minutes.
If frozen, take pie crusts out to thaw (HINT: turn one upside down on the provided wax paper for easier removal from pan later).
In the meantime, in another saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft & translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper & celery seed. Slowly stir in chicken broth & milk. Simmer over med-low heat until thick.
Place chicken mixture in bottom pie crust. Pour liquid mix over. Cover with top crust. Seal edges & cut away excess dough. Make several slits to allow steam to escape. Mine always looks messy when I'm done, but it still tastes good!
Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until pastry is golden brown. Cool at least 10 minutes before serving.

Great with side salad and cornbread!

Mama Smells Like Monkey Balls

2009-04-03T07:00:00.000-07:00

One day I was trying to get P-man to rest but he was too antsy so I thought I'd try a game my sisters and I used to play many moons ago when we were trying to fall asleep. It was called "Whoever Talks First." One of us would proclaim, "whoever talks first smells like_________!" or "whoever talks first is ____________!" and then we'd count down. So I tried to explain the game to P (knowing full well he wouldn't get it) and then I said, "Whoever talks first smells like monkey balls! OK, when I count to three, no talking or you'll smell like monkey balls! 1...2...3..." And of course, not too long afterward, P-man exclaimed, "Mama smells like monkey balls!" I cracked up so he repeated it over and over and now it's a running joke.

Later on, I told my sister Sarah about it, who told my mom about it, who asked that I try to get it on video for her to see. Well, it's hard to get a toddler to fully cooperate with the camera, so I had a long boring video with a few good parts. Fortunately, my hubby showed me how to use Windows Movie Maker (which I forgot I even had on the computer) and I learned how to edit my videos! Cool. So now I was able to put together the best parts I could get on video. Here ya go, mom!

(As usual, Facebook users will have to click the button "View Original Post" to watch the video)

Thankful Thursday

2009-04-02T12:00:00.000-07:00

I'm thankful today is a lazy laundry day. I needed a break from doing "stuff!"

I'm thankful P is sitting on my lap.

I'm thankful for the beautiful roses from my hubby.

I'm thankful for ALL the birthday wishes and gifts I received!

I'm thankful for spice cake with powdered sugar and praline ice cream.

I'm thankful we got to see Annie Banannie for free at the library yesterday!

And I'm especially thankful it's almost lunchtime so I have an excuse to eat again... and maybe dig into some more cake, too. Oink, oink! As P always says: "Mama's a piggy now!"

Park Time with Dada

2009-04-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

It seems like lately we don't often get quality three amigo fun time. Our weeknights are usually busy with eating dinner and then straight to getting P-man ready for bed. And our weekends have been pretty full lately with house hunting amongst lots of other activities. So, when we finally got to go to the park a couple of weekends ago, all three of us, I just had to take some pictures of the little guy with his favorite dude, Dada.

Magna Doodle Fun

2009-03-31T07:00:00.000-07:00

P-man is learning to recognize some words now. We were playing with his Magna Doodle recently and before I took this video he was impressing me by saying the names I was writing without hesitation. I grabbed the camera and tried to catch it on video for family's sake. Like usual, as soon as the camera came out, P decided not to cooperate. At least, not at first...

The next video is just P-man doodling and a fun conversation we had about his picture.

Mama's New Blankie and P's Cool Orange Car

2009-03-30T12:00:00.000-07:00

In the beginning of March, P-man and I took a trip to San Bernardino to visit Christine and her family for her birthday, but we were the ones who walked away with gifts! Christine's mom, Daphne, knitted me a new blanket. It is my new favorite nighttime couch blankie. P-man and Dada fight with me over it, too.

Christine's husband, Mo, also let P take home one of his son's collectible cars. P-man calls it his cool orange car.

See the monkey driving it? Elmo's in the passenger seat.

When he first got the car, he incessantly asked me "what's this, mama?" pointing to all the different parts of the car. I tried to answer as best as I could, having a limited knowledge of cars. ;)

Here's a video of us going over the different parts of the car:

(FB users click on "view original post" button to see video)

Happy Birthday, Grandpa Dan!

2009-03-28T07:00:00.000-07:00

One night Pman got a hold of my cell phone and pretended to talk to Grandpa Dan. So I let him call Grandpa and he didn't say hardly anything to him. As soon as their real conversation ended, he went into pretend mode again and chatted away to no one on the phone. In honor of Grandpa Dan's birthday, here's the second round on video so Grandpa can see what P really wanted to say to him:

Rough translation: "How are you doing today, Grandpa?" Something unintelligible follows. Then, "Hi Grandpa. How are you doing today, Grandpa?" Continues unintelligible sentences. Gets distracted by piano. "Play the piano?" Realizes he's still "talking" to Grandpa. "Bye bye Grandpa." Shuts the phone and looks up at Mama. "I play the piano?"

Happy Birthday, Uncle Drew!

2009-03-27T17:15:00.000-07:00

Vitamins

2009-03-27T07:00:00.000-07:00

We decided to introduce P-man to Flintstones multi-vitamins and at first he wasn't too keen on them, but now he asks for them. These pics and video are from his first time trying one.

Thankful Thursday: Quiet Reading

2009-03-26T07:00:00.000-07:00

I apologize for no Thankful Thursday post last week. I had done all my other blogs in advance and just didn't have the motivation to write one that day. I will try to make up for it by doubling my thankful list this week...

I'm thankful for a foggy night walk.
I'm thankful for cold mornings and warm afternoons.
I'm thankful for the beautiful view from my window right now.
I'm thankful for my Bible.
I'm thankful for pancakes on weekends!
I'm thankful for Children's Motrin (P's cutting his miserable molars).
I'm thankful for my hubby's 3-day weekend!
I'm thankful for my fuzzy socks.
I'm thankful that our TV fixed itself.
I'm thankful for my hubby's handiness. Now we don't need to get a new toaster oven!
I'm thankful P took some good naps this week (even if it was only because of less sleep at night).
I'm thankful for shin splints. It means I have a good excuse to splurge on new sneakers. :)
I'm thankful P-man wasn't heartbroken over losing one of his new shoes.
And I'm especially thankful for the moment when I went to find P-man one day when I got suspicious of his activities because it was so quiet. I walked in on him in his room doing this:

Lollipop, Lollipop, oooh Lolli-Lollipop!

2009-03-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday

Water Colors Again

2009-03-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

P-man is really getting the hang of painting with water colors now. He's quite the little artist. Our walls are rather full and cluttered with his pictures, so I've been saving his most recent ones and decided I'd make a scrap book instead... let's see if I ever get around to that! Watch his technique in the video below!

Spider!

2009-03-23T07:00:00.001-07:00

We have had a few visitors with eight legs lately. Here's a fella I am proud to say I took action on 'cause he was crawling towards P's room and he freaked me out. I didn't know if he was a biter or not.

I got him off the ceiling with a broom and then caught him in a cup. I got P-man to open the front door and we kind of threw him down the stairs. *shudder* He was creepy.

Here's a video of another time we were trying to catch a spider in a cup. The spider was too fast and hid and P thought that he could get him to come out by calling him. That's when I grabbed the camera 'cause it was too funny.

Conversations with P-man: Private Parts

2009-03-21T10:15:00.000-07:00

This boy cracks us up! This morning out of nowhere:

P to me: "Mama has no penis."
Me: *laugh* "That's right."
P with sly grin: "Mama has fagina"
Dada and Me: *laughing loudly*
P: "See mama's fagina?" tugging on my robe.
Me: "Um, no, buddy."

Not too long ago after a bath, P-man was helping me put lotion on him. We were sitting on the toilet facing the mirrored shower door. Here was our conversation that day:

P: "Help me put lotion on"
Me: "OK, you can help me put the lotion on."
P: "Put lotion on... nipple! Put lotion on.... toe! Put lotion on penis!"
Me: "Oh, on your penis, huh?"
P: "That feels nice!"