Thanks, Grandpa!

Sometimes my family looks like we walked straight out of a  50's sitcom where everyone is way too happy and everyone and everything is perfect (minus the big skirt and old-fashioned hairdos, of course).  This morning was one of those times.  We were able to spend a fun morning at Pullen Park riding the boats, the train, the carousel, and the curly slide, eating a picnic lunch, and wandering around enjoying the catfish, turtles, and waterfowl.  The day was absolutely gorgeous, breezy and warm, but not the slightest bit hot, and the children were perfect.  The kids are so sweet and thankful for all they got to do.  Over and over they told me, "Thank you so much Mommy for this special day!"  and, "This is my favorite! I loooooooooove the carousel!" and, "You're the bestest Mommy in the whole world!"  They also could be seen hugging each other and holding hands without prompting every now and then.  They were just so happy.  People often ask me if my kids are as good at home as they are in public, or comment on how much Chloe and Eli love each other.  And while I normally scoff and make a big to-do about how not perfect my kids are, I want to take a moment to say how truly thankful I am for my sweet kids.  No, they're not perfect, but, their parents are even farther from the mark.  And no, they're not always good at home, and no, they don't always treat each other so sweetly, but they often do. They truly love each other.  They truly have grateful hearts.   And while I can say with all certainty that  there is nothing I have done that makes them this way, they are this way.  All thanks be to God our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ who has begun such a beautiful work in my little household, and in the tiny hearts of my precious little kids.  And I know He will complete it!  I can't wait to see what He does next!  And, I can't wait until we go on vacation because my children make  me feel like every little thing I plan is the very best day of their lives.

Thanks for Grandpa for funding such a fun outing! :)

Who taught that girl to drive??? Ouch!!

They wanted to be the caboose today.

Happy on her horse. 

In motion.  She is not cheesing.  She is absolutely this giddy.

The Silver Lining

The past two months have been full of sorrow and grief, pain and fear.  With the death of Daddypa, Granny's fall, Tootie's new shoulder, Tony's two heart surgeries, and MeMaw's torn ACL (not to mention Mimi's therapy, Mama's MRIs and XRays, and a couple of hearty colds for the wee ones) I couldn't help but become afraid and discouraged from time to time.   It's been a blessing to know the peace of Christ through it all.  I don't know how one makes it through such tough times without it.  Besides resting on the Lord, we were also able to really wrap ourselves in one of the greatest blessings God has given us on this earth. The love of family.  Though this time has been hard, very hard, we have had countless opportunities to spend with one another.  The kids were able to spend days and days at Mimi and Grandpa's while Patrick and I did what we could do to help Grandma and to grieve.  Then there was a week long stay at Grandma's for the kids  and I, with many more to follow.  Tootie came and hung her hat for a week here and another week there, and MeMaw and Poppa came to enjoy the kids and work in our yard, so Patrick and I could get away for a time of spiritual refreshment at the Wilds.  It has been so wonderful to constantly be around the people we love the most.  I just hate that it only happened as a result of tragedy.  I look forward to the day when we can all be closer together, or when we all get cars like the Jetsons to drastically cut down on the commute.  I just hope it happens before the kids are too cool to hang out with us anymore.

I Hope It's a Phase!

Chloe has begun calling me "Momma" instead of "Mommy." This makes me very sad.

Dollhouse Dreams II

The word "dollhouse" is a powerful one for little girls and women alike.  It's full of all kinds of memories of days gone by, or for the younger ones, hopes for future fun.  The word has recently elicited a variety of animated stories that have been so fun to hear.  From what I've heard, it seems there are two kinds of girls in this world. There are those who are Dollhouse Girls and those who, quite simply, are not.

My grandma is a Dollhouse girl.  There were two things she always wanted to have, a bicycle and a dollhouse, both of which she never got.  When she was a young girl, her Aunt Lenoir had lost two children and wanted to take my grandma as her own.  She was a kind woman, who never said a cross word.  She was gentle and sweet, and promised grandma a bike and a dollhouse and new dresses if only she would come be her daughter.  Coming from a family of five children, this request didn't seem at all unreasonable to grandma, plus her mom quarrelled all the time.  Her house was loud and chaotic, they wouldn't miss the youngest of the five.  Grandma begged and pleaded, but her mom never relented.  So after many tears were shed, grandma made due, fashioning dolls and furniture out of scraps of this and that she found along the way.  She used her imagination and had very lively dollhouse adventures without the aid of an actual dollhouse.  Eventually, my grandma would have a daughter, and she vowed her daughter would have a better life than she had.  Her daughter would have a dollhouse!  Of course, my grandma didn't bargain for my mom, whose idea of a fun time was painting all of her baby dolls and jumping on her shiny, new dollhouse crushing it to bits.

Some people have been worried that a nice dollhouse is too much of an investment for a three year old little girl.  What if she doesn't like it?  And while the question is certainly a fair one, (I have seen more than enough postings on craigslist advertising a $200 dollhouse that was "never played with" or "only collecting dust") I don't think we need to worry.  You see, there are two types.  I'm a dollhouse girl, my mom was not.  My sister wasn't and neither is her daughter. My grandma was, as was Mimi. Wormy has gone the past year with only a doll family, and like grandma, has spent countless hours imagining a home and furniture for her little people.  Her face lights up when she sees pictures of houses online, and asks for a "Happy Birthday House" nearly everyday.  I think it's safe to say she's a Dollhouse Girl.

Dollhouse Dreams

It was almost refreshing to see the giant goblins set-up in Sam's Club this morning.  It helped us know that we weren't the only ones looking forward to that last weekend in October, and we weren't completely crazy for thinking about it oh so soon.  Of course, it's not Halloween that excites us, but Wormy's third birthday, just two days before the big day of bewitching. 

We have been giving her birthday lots of thought for awhile now, primarily concerning ourselves with the perfect present.  We decided this year, if at all possible, would be the year of the Dollhouse.  We want something special, nothing plastic and fleeting, but rather a rich, wooden, heirloom that will be enjoyed not only by Chloe, but by the next generation as well.  I've been combing the internet looking for the perfect match, and have attempted to snag a few pretty good looking ones on Craigslist, always to be beat out by a swifter, more desperate mommy.  Afraid we would never be able to buy anything nice, I asked my mom and my grandma if they would be willing to go in with us instead of buying Worm a seperate gift, and they were completely excited to do so!

Last night, we took the kids to Learning Express so I could see some houses in person while the kids played with the Thomas set.  I decided a few that I kinda liked online were merely okay in person. I was a little discouraged, thinking nothing was quite good enough when I finally saw it.  The one.  The perfect heirloom.  It was beautiful, but not frilly.  Big, but not monstrous.  Modern, but not so to become dated.  And it had a couple of really cool features (ie. a working doorbell and drapes that go up and down), but not so many that the gadgets strip away the need for imagination. I was in love, and so was Patrick.  I looked for a price, and finding none, went over to the clerk to inquire.  I thought it would be a little high, but I didn't think I would see my dreams dashed so quickly and violently! (That much?!? For a dollhouse!!) We left a little dejected, but knew we would find something nice, just not that nice elsewhere.  I decided to look for the one from the store online last night, and hit dead ends at every turn.  Vendor after vendor was sold out with no idea when more would be in.  And then it happened.  I found one!  At a place called Future Memories, no less.  Not only did I find one, but it was fifty dollars  cheaper!  We ordered it immediately, knowing it was still too pricey for a birthday gift, but not being able to help ourselves, and it will be here in a week or so.

Anyone else willing to chip in instead of getting a seperate gift would be greatly, greatly appreciated.  If you do like to buy seperate presents, furniture (Melissa and Doug or Ryan's Room type) for our little people will be much loved, otherwise, they will have only curtains and a doorbell till Christmas!  Those of us who buy the house will all sign the bottomside, adding a special note or Bible verse to make this gift truly special and meaningful for years to come.  We are so excited about it, and really have no idea how we are going to keep ourselves from ripping open the box and ringing the little tiny doorbell before the big day.

I have another story or two to tell regarding this whole thing, but since this has become tiresome already, I will end now, and quench your desire to see what this great thing looks like.... so without further ado...!

                                

Ta-DA!

Not a Trace of Doubt in My Mind

I really hate to admit it, but it's true.  I know I should have no other gods, I know there are no other true religions, I know that God is sovereign and omnipresent.  He controls all things.  He knows the plot from beginning to end before the play is even written.  I know this.  Still, I just can't shake it.  I believe in the jinx.  Like God, it never fails me.  The words "Look how good the kids are being, Honey" are always immediately followed with screaming and blood.  "I can't believe they went to sleep so easily" answered with piercing yells from the back corner of the house.  "He hasn't been sick in so long!" ended with snot and crankiness by evening.  My Husband likes to tease me about my belief, uttering aloud my innermost thoughts at the most inopportune (ie quietest and most peaceful) times.  Yet, after Tuesday night, I think even he is beginning to go the way of Solomon.  After a round of intense storms left the kids unawakened, he remarked about how great it is that our little girl, though scared unto panic by leaves and feathers, sleeps through the worst blusters.  Enter storm 2.  The result? Two toddlers, scared and wide awake until two in the morning, and one Daddy wondering how this can be.  The jinx, that's how.