A Boy Thing?

This sleeping in crazy positions…is it a boy thing?

I’ve seen the girls’ sleep in dramatic positions (arm flung over the head as if in distress) but nothing fancy like these boys’! Aren’t they sweet when they sleep?

He Comes By It Honestly

If I could count all the number of times I saw my Grandpa, my mom’s dad, in this very position through the years you wouldn’t believe me.

My Grandma tells the story about the time my Grandpa declared he was going to take a nap and one of my younger cousins piped up, “We’ll go get your book for you, Grandpa!”

All of us, my cousins and I, have seen him snooze in this position. You see their room in the cabin up north is a ranch. It is on the end, the corner. It isn’t large but it is lined with windows. The front windows have you looking right at their bed not 3 feet away. It is a bird’s eye view of Grandpa when he naps. : ) He doesn’t get away with much!

Not only would he fall asleep with a book in his hands, where it would stay in perfect position the whole nap through, but he would always tell us, “I was just checking my eyelids for pinholes.” (I am quoting word for word here.) It is a running family joke now since we’re all older and we all know better. But that Grandpa, he can sure spin a yarn when he wants to!

Time will tell if how much more Isaiah comes by honestly, but this sleeping with the book propped open? Priceless.

Nine

Another year gone by, another year older. Kiersten celebrated her ninth birthday a few weeks ago. It seemed it bit spread out, the celebrating that is. We had a family birthday party shared between her and my nephew the weekend after her birthday and then a week after that we let her invite some friends over for a party.

The afternoon of the friends party did not turn out at all as I had envisioned it would, but that ended up being okay. Thankfully the girls’ had fun and Kiersten was extremely gracious about what we talked about doing and what actually got done. I lack so much in the organizational, planning areas.

The party consisted of 3 sisters, who also homeschool and one of which danced with Kiersten this year, and then another girl who also danced with Kiersten. There weren’t any awkward moments but rather lots of laughter. I won’t repeat any of the nine year old jokes I heard that evening so as to spare you and keep us as friends.  : ) (Let’s just say bowel movements figured in heavily and leave it at that shall we? They are young, what can I say?)

I did manage to put together a scavenger hunt for them. I had to slow down Isaiah (Yes, he joined the festivities although he wasn’t entirely welcome.) because he knew where things were once the clue was solved. The kids were also racing ahead and leaving some behind. (Drat that child gate before the stairs!) The scavenger hunt was such a hit with my two that they have been begging me to put another one together for them to do with instructions to make finding the clues a little more difficult! Who knew?

We fed them all some dinner and capped off the night with a visit to a local ice cream parlor. One of the girls ordered and ate almost an entire banana split! Amazing. After that the family mobile taxied all the girls’ to their respective homes.

This doing a party for non-family members was a first for all of us and from what Kiersten says a success. For that I am very thankful and she was very happy. A win-win.

Endearing

Her pronunciation, or rather mispronunciation, of words is so precious. Today it was, “Mom, I have a beaver. Take my temperture.”

“You mean you have a fever?”

“Yeah, like Zeke.”

I am especially naughty when these cute little mispronunciations come about. I ask or prompt her in some way to get her to say that sweet sounding word again and again. It brings such a smile to my face and warms my heart. I love this about her, her way with words.

Some others are, “Can I watch that on that ba-cute-er?”

“You mean the computer?” : )

It is a gum-brella instead of an umbrella.

She says back-set instead of basket.

It comes out, “No, I did-dent.” (Which my husband can mimic far better than I can!)

She called a sweet friend of hers ‘Farris’ which was rather a mystery to me because her name is Kharis and she could say Katie, Kiersten and Miss Kate. So why the K couldn’t not be included at the start of Kharis’ name baffled me. (This is no longer an issue. Whew! I didn’t want wee Kharis to get a complex.)

I suppose if I were honest it isn’t just the way she mispronounces or rather changes words it is the way she says them. I don’t think it could quite be said she has an accent but there is something to that thought. She says ‘girl’ and it sounds like guirl. Written words cannot to justice to the speak and sound of a 3 year old but just know it is precious, oh so precious.

A Note of Apology

It’s her birthday and I’m watching her start to write a letter just after breakfast.

“Who’s Christina?” I ask.

“Oh, she’s this girl in my VBS class.”

“Why are you apologizing to her?”

“Well…we were getting ready to play this game and she said, ‘I’m picking Tommy to be on my team because I don’t like you.’ “

“So why are you apologizing? Did you say something mean to her? Did you accidentally push her?”

All these questions and more I ask knowing what the answer will be.

“No,” she replies.

“What do you have to apologize for? I don’t understand.”

And yet I do and my heart hurts for her. My girlie is wanting to apologize because Christina doesn’t like her and she doesn’t know why. She figures it must be her fault.

How do I explain to one so young that kids’ can be mean? (Adults are no exception to this rule, but you know the saying.) How do I tell her that she probably did nothing really for this girl to decide to not like her since they had been together all of 6 hours over a span of two days and had never set eyes on one another before VBS began? How do you explain not everyone will like you no matter how nice you are to them?

But her feelings are hurt and she doesn’t understand what she did wrong. I understand (Seventh grade, need I say more?) and I feel for her, I just don’t know what to say.

I suppose I should have let her finish writing her note- but I don’t. My mama pride and a little bit of anger well up in me so I tell her, “I am not seeing anything you should apologize for so why don’t you just stop?” (When will I ever learn it isn’t about me?)

In truth it might have made her heart feel all the better if she had been able to write and deliver that note. Oh, she might have been rejected again by Christina but then again she might not have. All I know is she would not be left to wonder what she did because she would know that she did her best and tried to be a good friend.

I regret I didn’t let her finish and I am even sorrier she thinks there might be something wrong or unlovable about her that makes someone decide they don’t want to be her friend. But can I say there’s nothing wrong with you, it’s her? I can not. So I’m stuck.

She is a little late to this game, at age 9, since we homeschool. She would have been inducted long ago into this friendship game, if she attended school. She already would have known kids’ will be mean and people can choose to not like you just because. Just because.

Awk, now it’s me who is needing to apologize. Such a bud-in-ski I have been. I’ll be telling her how I love her and tossing in some truths about how much the Lord loves her. About how that love is never changing, always constant, always strong, never failing- the REAL truth about how she is loved and liked.

Summer Reading

I read the whole Mitford Series by Jan Karon. It is just a wonderful set of books about an older man of the cloth and his everyday life lived in small town America. Nothing flashy or highly romantic to speak of and it isn’t needed. You’ll know what I mean if you decide to pick up the  first novel. : )

The thing I most appreciated about the books was although these are a popular main stream series, having won New York Bestseller status, Ms. Karon clearly and deliberating talks of Jesus and a relationship with him. There are several scenes within the books where people pray to receive Christ into their hearts.

It is hard to encompass the whole 9 book series in a brief synopsis. I’ll just highlight three big quotes that really got me.

When talking with a person who attended a Christian church of a different denomination whom he had invited to his church the person replied, “I don’ know nothin’ about nothin’ but Baptists. I guess th’ rest is all pretty different.”

Here’s the part that got me, the reply of this man of the cloth.

 “The key is a relationship with Jesus Christ. If we get that right, the differences usually matter less than we like to think.”

Wow. Can I get an Amen?

Another phrase this man often said throughout the series-

“Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future.”

Lastly he would mention the ‘prayer that never fails’.

“Thy will be done.”

It is nice when a book preaches to you! I took some notes and the Lord spoke to me on a few of my own ‘issues’. I’ll not bore you with details. I’ll just suffice it to say this series is well worth the read if you have the time and you enjoy fiction.

(The first two quotes were taken from Light From Heaven, book 9. That last quote was spread throughout several of the books.)

I am currently reading Little Pilgrim’s Progress. I was reading it because someone recommended reading it to the kids’. (I like to read some books first before sharing with the kids. They haven’t heard any of it yet.) I don’t think it is so much for the kids’ as it is for me! Straight to the heart, I’ll say that much. More later.

Hope your summer included a few good reads. Any you want to mention?

Why Didn't They?

Honestly, I am wondering why in the world the lady at the front desk didn't. And then the lady and several gentlemen I saw when I was wondering Walmart at 5:15 a.m. didn't. I mean where is the decency in letting a person walk around looking like that?!

We have been out and about the country driving hither and yon to get to see some grandparents and other family members of mine. The first night in the hotel I put some toothpaste on my face, just a little dab mind you, to help with an area that was showing the makings of a zit. (I do this often since I don't use a mask or anything such thing.)

Anyhow, when Zeke woke up the next morning at the crack of 5 a.m. I scuttled us out the door quickly so as not to wake the other kids' in order to avoid us having a serious cry-fest on our hands later in the day. I had forgotten Kiersten's toothbrush, and while the hotel one was lovely, I needed to get one for her. So away we went to Walmart.

We walked out the lobby, chatting all the while with the lady behind the counter. Walked into Walmart saying 'hi' and 'good morning' to those we saw diligently stocking the shelves. We were still wandering the store when I reached up and touched my face only to make contact with the offending toothpaste spot!

How could all those nice people let me walk around like that and not say anything?!!! Sweet humility. I turned my own shade of scarlet in the aisle, rubbed off what was there and made a hasty retreat out of the store.

The saving grace? I wasn't home, I didn't see anyone I know and we aren't stopping there on our way home!