It's a Smalling World

Praise Warriors

2011-08-04T17:26:00.001-05:00

Sunday night in my Bible reading plan, I'm in 2 Chronicles. The story below knocks me over, Spirit clearly points me to a specific situation (Sara Walker, friend in Nashville battling colon cancer). I send it to her with a note and praise God, based on verses 21-22. {read it at the bottom and come back. I'm bossy.}

Monday brings news of someone I love dearly being hospitalized. Knees to the earth. Realize that in my zeal to read Word more, I've neglected talking to Him.

Many other stressful things = feeling overwhelmed. On my knees much but feeling kind of whiny and guilty b/c I'm not actually the one hurting, hospitalized, grieving, etc. Something's off.

This morning's reading includes Psalm 35:27 "The Lord be exalted, who delights in the well-being of his servant." Love it--that God delights in our well-being, not pain--but not making connections yet. Crazy kid-day, lots of skirmishes at Smalling Farms (in the middle of one, while trying to talk to Mom on the phone, she said: "It's Thursday, but Tuesday's coming!" (school starting), ala Tony Campolo...I so needed that!). Finally: NAPTIME!

More importantly, quiet time to finish Bible reading. Where am I? Oh yes, Psalm 35, now verse 28: "My tongue will proclaim your righteousness, your praises all day long."

Brings 2 Chronicles story back to mind: "Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: "Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever." As they began to sing and praise,the Lord set ambushes against [their enemies] and they were defeated." (2 Chron 20:21-22)

Like a ton of bricks: He wants me to be a praise warrior! That's what's missing, from even my "your will be done" prayers.

I'm far from the first to see this. Vivian McClellan, among many others, has been trying to show me this for years.

Will you join me as praise warriors this month? You may already be praising your lips off, or you may be out of the habit like me. Let's praise not just in situations where it would seem obvious, but let's intentionally praise in the hard stuff. Whatever you've been stressed over, worried about, having a hard time getting past: PRAISE HIM. Nothing fancy or elaborate. "Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever." Can't get simpler than that, but what power! See if He won't set some ambushes and defeat some enemies!

Melanie aka MotorMouth :)

{One more thing: Please read "One Thousand Gifts" by Ann Voskamp if you have not. That's all. What? I'm bossy.)

2 Chronicles 20:12-22 NIV
"12 Our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you."13 All the men of Judah, with their wives and children and little ones, stood there before the Lord.14 Then the Spirit of the Lord came on Jahaziel son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite and descendant of Asaph, as he stood in the assembly.15 He said: "Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: 'Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's.16 Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel.17 You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.'"18 Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the Lord.19 Then some Levites from the Kohathites and Korahites stood up and praised the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.20 Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful."21 After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of hist holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: "Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever."22 As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated."
See it at YouVersion.com:
http://bible.us/2Chr20.12.NIV

Grateful

2010-09-06T22:37:00.000-05:00

21. treasures in heaven (Matt 6:19-20)
22. blog encouragers (Mom and Hannah)
23. warm fires and smelling smoky later
24. friends, old and new, who remember
25. do-overs (Lam 3:22-23)
26. making it "this far" (2 Sam 7:18-22)
27. forgiveness from my little peeps
28. Mama's cookin'!
29. indoor toilets (although I'm considering sending the little boys outside unless they start aiming better)
30. colors of fall
31. Luke knowing the last word of each line of much-read books
32. "Holding on to Hope" and the friend who gifted it
33. Ruby Anne
34. people who don't care when you say dumb things
35. words and language
36. kids who sleep at 7:30 pm = QUIET
37. God speaking through my mother-in-law...PEACE
38. rest for the weary (Matt 11:28-29)
39. His everlasting-ness (Jer 31:3)
40. a mama who quilts (because I'm on my way to sleep under the wedding quilt she made for us!)

Gratitude

2010-08-30T16:41:00.000-05:00

1. cool mornings

2. Bible study on the patio while Luke plays

3. hot tea

4. hard-working husband

5. "scub scouts" {Luke says it; Noah is one}

6. that Noah's favorite thing about "scub scouts" is "learning about God and serving"

7. 8 yr old boy insights

8. a king-sized pillow

9. Luke patiently lining up tractors

10. snuggles from a busy 2 yr old

11. "Mommy, I need go potty!" BEFORE it happens!

12. Excedrin

13. public school teachers

14. Luke's "lankie"

15. the luxury of a day of rest when a migraine hits: only 1 kid at home, being a stay-at-home mom, being caught up (for ONCE) on chores

16. leftovers for lunch

17. God's unlimited patience (1 Tim 1:16)

18. Word meals (Jeremiah 15:16)

19. kids' hugs for the bus driver

20. that salvation pleased him! (Ps 115:3)

The first of counting my many, many blessings...

Hello, my name is Melanie...

2010-08-30T11:10:00.000-05:00

...and I think I feel like blogging again?

It's a Jack E World

2009-09-29T17:02:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I play and sometimes I read.

I love my Mommy.

Sometimes me and mom go for a hike {never happened}, and play games {all the time},

and decorate {once, for fall}.

Most times I go to school, and sometimes I do science and exercise and take a rest,

and when I'm done I take a deep breath.

Sometimes I play, and sometimes I have birthdays. Sometimes I go to the park,

and sometimes I go somewhere to eat.

My birthday is October 30th. I will be the big 5 this year.

Here are the rules for my birthday:

1. No breakin'.

2. No messin' up.

3. No openin' other people's presents when it's not time,

and no peekin' inside somebody else's presents.

4. If you want to come to my birthday, you gotta be nice.

5. No scarin' people.

6. No vampires.

7. No muddy people.

8. No frowin' food.

9. No breakin' toys.

10. No frowin' chairs at people.

11. If you want to be a good kid, then you can come to my birthday.

12. No actin' wild.

13. If you have somethin' to say, raise your hand.

14. If you need to go pee-pee and you have an accident on the floor, call somebody to clean it up.

15. Don't ever show somebody your poop. Besides, there is nobody who does that, but if they do, they have to leave my birthday, but if they apologize, they can come back to my next birthday.

16. If you ever bring sticks inside, then frow 'em outside and never come back to my birthday...

unless I say so.

Jack Everett

Life, Interrupted

2009-09-16T22:31:00.001-05:00

I had been married for 7 years, with 3 healthy children and a surprise 4th child on the way. Girl, boy, boy...and we could hardly believe it when the 20 week ultrasound showed a perfectly healthy baby girl! You can imagine how over-the-moon big sister was to finally even the score! Our family of 5.5 was already bursting at the seams as we adjusted to preschool and 1st grade, flashcards, morning {all-day} sickness, school fundraisers, Brownie meetings, ballet lessons, soccer practice, missions meetings, class picnics, playdates, work, church activities...you get the picture! Our busy world was spinning fast and furious.

And on Labor Day of 2006, our world stopped spinning. 24 weeks growing strong...interrupted. No heartbeat. Our baby Ruby was gone. Two days later, the earthly tent that would have been her was born to us, and we spent 6 precious hours holding her before we let her go. One year later, I would write these words:

Seems like if anyone could say it, I could...

after all, I'm the only one who felt your life...
Your kicking and growing...

rolls, hiccups, twitches...
I knew you, felt you,
loved you, wanted you...
weeks of feeling miserable, knowing it would be worth it...

back to nature, midwife and all...
couldn't quit the caffeine, though, brothers and sister to keep up with...
too busy to stop and enjoy,

to stop and feel my Ruby,
to watch my belly roll...
to realize you'd fallen still...
The world keeps turning for everyone else…
mine is still…
still…

This tragic interruption, this insertion of stillness into our lives, was such a paradox. In one sense, the stillness was the worst thing ever. It represented loss and hurt and pain and grief and absolute brokenness and devastation. Our daughter was stillborn. I will never forget her tiny body and the coldness and stillness. Our lives literally became still. I sat on the couch while family and friends swirled around me, taking care of the things that were oh-so-important to me just days before. The kids took turns crawling in my lap while I just sat, mostly in silence. Still. And in those moments, when I could hardly catch my breath in all my stillness, His command became my lifeline. "Be still and know that I am God." I couldn't move. I couldn't do. I couldn't speak. I couldn't pray. I could hardly breathe. But I could be still. And know, in deep places that had never been explored in me before, that He is God.

And as is the normal course in life, days and weeks of stillness slowly gave way to moving, doing, speaking, praying...breathing. That silent desperation, of feeling Him in each breath as He momentarily broke the utter stillness, of being completely dependent on Him to wake me up each morning and get me out of bed, slowly gave way to a new normal. As the hurt began to heal, I began to become more self-reliant again. There is a part of me that longs for the day when I will not only be reunited with my Ruby, my treasure laid up in heaven, but that also longs to live every breath in and for Him, this time without interruption, without tears and heartache. Lord Jesus, interrupt us soon!

Jack, already this morning

2009-08-20T12:00:00.002-05:00

Jack, what do you want to do for your birthday?

"Well, I want to go to Chuck E Cheese, but make sure you don't tell that giant rat about it, because I don't want him there. Technically, I'm afraid of giant rats."

He ROCKS!

2009-08-18T15:39:00.004-05:00

Noah...

...is a superhero {at least in his own mind}.

...enjoys building science labs and rocket ships...

...and fighting aliens...

...and catching toads and identifying "slug trails".

...lives on meat, peanuts and cheese. No bread for him, give the boy his PROTEIN!

...is excited to be a 2nd grader!

...has a very tender heart and usually responds strongly to the slightest punishment.

...is a reading machine! {brag alert: He recently tested above a 4th grade reading level! However, his handwriting? Not so much!}

...frequently says, "Rock on!", "Yo, dude!" and "Awesome!" {because he has watched too many episodes of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles} and lately poses like this when I turn the camera on him:

...cannot sleep without a prayer and "Sweet dreams!" whispered before bed.

...is a great helper to Daddy, working with the cattle and keeping the farm looking good.

...loves to read the Old Testament--it started with reading the story of Noah, but he has kept reading and really knows a LOT of the Old Testament well, totally on his own.

...has perhaps the cutest crooked grin and random dimples EVER! Love you, Noah-boy!

He knows not what he says

2009-08-18T09:13:00.004-05:00

Jack: "We can go to the place where we feed the ducks. Then we can feed the ducks and then see if the fish want what's on our poles. What do fish like to eat? I don't think they like bread. I think fish hate bread. [eyes wide] OH, I didn't know I was going to say "hate"! I'm sorry!"

8.11.09 Mommy Moments

2009-08-11T17:25:00.001-05:00

Mommy: {to Jack, #3, age 4 and 3/4 yrs} It's time to put your shoes on so we can leave for school.

Jack: {already in the midst of throwing a tantrum for reasons unknown} But I'm not done throwing my fit! Just leave me alone!!
.......................................................................................

I know you're thinking, "That is so like a four year old!" And it is. Unfortunately, all too often, it's so like this 31 year old. In fact, THE NIGHT BEFORE, I read this quote from "Me, Myself, and Lies" by Jennifer Rothschild, p 35:

"We give Satan the greatest weapons he uses against us: bitterness and unforgiveness. Pause and ask God if you would benefit from forgiving someone...or yourself?"

And responded this way [seriously, yall, I WROTE this in my Bible study book. I am just that mature.]: "I want to but I'm not finished throwing my baby fit. SO MATURE."
.......................................................................................

So God has been using many people {including my own 4 yr old} to step all over my toes this week about a couple of issues I need to address in my life. None of them are huge, except that I've been letting them be a foothold for Satan to sneak his way into my life. After periods of feeling like He had nothing to say to me, I'm trying to be grateful for the bloodied toes. But they do make it kind of hard to walk sometimes...
.......................................................................................

"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of GRACE and TRUTH...For the law was given through Moses; GRACE and TRUTH came through Jesus Christ." John 1:14, 17 (emphasis mine)

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing Darling

2009-08-04T10:45:00.014-05:00

Maddy...

...still loves all things fairy.

...is a wonderful helper to me around the house.

...spent most of her summer reading anything she could get her hands on.

...is a good swimmer and has gained a lot of confidence in that this summer.

...loves her some bread. Would live by bread alone if given the option.

...is a little nervous about the new school year but excited to be a 4th grader!

...plays well with her brothers as long as (A) she is in charge and (B) she is in charge, of her own free will and not because I've asked her to "watch" them.

...has earned the nickname "Motor Mouth", lovingly passed down to her from her mama.

...is a better daughter, sister, grandaughter, friend, student than she gives herself credit for. She is her own toughest critic.

...is as non-outdoorsy as her mama...except that she...

...loves working on the farm with Daddy, especially getting to "drive" {O Lord, help us!} tractors and pickups and trailers, OH MY.

...is becoming more and more aware of others' feelings and needs and looks for ways to serve.

...continues to be a wonderful writer and storyteller, with a vivacious vocabulary!

There are a million more things I love about my girl. I'm so blessed and thankful to be her mama!

Luke's One Year Pictures

2009-08-02T21:58:00.004-05:00

Thanks to Melissa DeVries Photography for the ONE-derful pictures of Luke!

He's into the details...

2009-07-30T13:32:00.006-05:00

*****Oops! The first link was totally wrong, but is fixed now. Blogging 101: Check your links before you post!!*****

First, read this wonderful post about how God is into the details of our lives. The comments are full of stories of how this is SO true. And then you should read Amanda's hilarious spin on God being into the details for her :-) I snorted when I read it, but you really have to read the first (serious) post first.

After I read the original post, I thought something along the lines of, "Yeah, he's just not that into my details right now." I knew that wasn't true, but I've been feeling sorry for myself lately. There's really no good reason for my attitude (is there ever??) but I think it's the end-of-the-summer overwhelm-ed-ness. I'm feeling guilty for all the things I didn't get to this summer with the kids, all of the playdates we did not make happen, all of the situations in which I did NOT handle myself with grace and patience {that's putting it SO nicely...I was U-G-L-Y, you ain't got no alibi, you ugly, yeah-yeah, you ugly}, etc, etc, etc... {"MommyGuilt"}

And this week has been VBS. I "taught" the 2 year olds, who were wonderful and cute and busy and playful and darling. But something didn't sit right all week. I couldn't get motivated with them. I just wanted to run away. And then it hit me Tuesday night that this was the class Ruby would have been in. These were supposed to be her little buddies. And she was not there. I don't always feel the void so tangibly, but I did this week.

I let myself be sad, cried a while, and felt much better. Somehow I just needed to recognize what was going on with me to be able to get over it. Wednesday night I had a much better attitude and was excited about the last night. {It might have helped that my big 3 had been with Memaw all day...ya think?!}

And God saw fit to send a precious little girl named Kin to our class that night. She had not been there the other nights. Her mama was at church to help translate for a group of refugees from Burma who were at VBS this week. That is a whole other post, but let me just say that being in the presence of souls who are hearing about our Mighty God and Sweet Savior for *the first time* is a pretty powerful thing. {Possibly the biggest understatement ever.}

So this darling little Kin came to class, bringing some {additional} spunk and...um...busy-ness to our little class {of 16 two-year-olds}. We glued cheerios to a picture of a mouth as we learned to thank God who made our mouths and sang "O Be Careful Little Mouth What You Say". Kin preferred eating the cheerios {and who can blame her?}. She was here and there and everywhere, just enjoying herself wherever she went. I loved every minute of watching her be her busy little self.

And then all of a sudden, she was done with the busy-ness. Her little brown eyes turned toward the door and the tears began to flow. I picked her up, assuring her that her mommy would be back soon, and LOOK! Snacktime! But she was done. I held her like I do my one-year old, Luke, and gently laid her head down on my shoulder, just like I do him. But he usually pops his head right back up and wants down. She did not. She laid her sweet head down and fell fast asleep.

And for the rest of the night, I got to hold this darling little sleeping 2 year old ball of life, while I felt my wounded heart heal with every sweet sleepy breath. "He's into the details..."

Praying for Stellan

2009-07-27T07:52:00.003-05:00

Updated: Stellan is stable now, doing much better for now, pumped full of drugs to keep his heart beating well. *Probably* moving to Boston soon to *probably* have another surgery that will almost certainly damage his heart and cause him to need a pacemaker for life. Please continue to pray!

Please pray this morning for Stellan. He is not doing well at all. Mckmama's last "tweets" have said: "I almost can't bring myself to write with more bad news. Stellan is hanging in there, but is deteriorating. It's not good. Dr B is here on the floor, but off conferencing with other cardiologists. He will come back to the bedside shortly & we'll conference. Can I reiterate that these last many hours have not been good!? Stellan is no longer urinating, his Potassium is up, he is still in SVT, very swollen & at midnight he began incessant vomiting."

6.16.09 Mommy Moments

2009-06-19T17:22:00.001-05:00

{Jack loves to tell stories! He tells me one--or twelve--every night before bed. I guess

my bedtime stories got too boring, so he's making up his own. Usually they involve him *not* being scared of monsters or the dark or bugs. It always starts with, "Mommy, it's time for me to tell you a story."}

"Mommy, it's time for me to tell you a story. This is a story about something *very* important. This is the story about Jesus."

{Picture proud Mommy, thrilled to hear my four-year-old "tell me the story of Jesus"}

"One day in the morning, I picked up my room and cleaned the dishes and picked up the laundry. Then, a book was broken and I fixed it with tape. I tested it and it worked-ed. Then, one of the toys was broken and I fixed it with tools. And I squished *all* the flies. The end."

{At this point, I wonder what happened to the story about Jesus, but I'm thankful it's at least a story about helping instead of being scared monsters...AGAIN. And then, out of the same little mouth that not ten minutes prior had been saying things like, "Noah, you are a stink-brain", he spoke with faith like a child:}

"Mommy, wasn’t that a great story? I did ALL your chores."

"Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed." Isaiah 53:4-5

It just had to be said

2009-06-04T15:32:00.004-05:00

"Please don't put your brother's toes in your mouth."

"Please quit saying the word 'hookers' over and over. It's called a 'hook'."

"No, you cannot throw that wrapper out the window."

"No, the police will not send your brother to jail for littering, but he might get a ticket."

"No, not a ticket to the movies, a ticket that says you have to pay $50 to the police."

"No, you do not get a Nintendo DS from the police when you give them $50. You just give them your money to help you remember not to throw trash out the window again."

"No it is not too cold to play outside! It's June!"

"Please don't wipe that on me."

"Yes, that cheese does make you look like you have a mustache."

"Please don't put your feet above your head."

Nothing but the Blood of Jesus

2009-06-01T22:17:00.004-05:00

*Update on the update: Please continue to pray for Laura. Today was not good. 1 step forward, 2 steps back. Pray she will be calm and not have to be sedated!*

Wonderful update on Laura, from her mama (Sunday): [but please continue praying for all of them!!]

At 10:00 this morning, the nurse taking care of Laura called me saying, "I've got good news." She said, "I think you're going to like what I have to tell you." She said that on her way in to work this morning she had prayed all the way for Laura and that when she got there Laura had taken a shower, gotten dressed, put on her make-up, and fixed her hair. She said that Laura had told her that she wanted strawberries, bananas, grapefruit, wheat triscuit and a marble cake with whipped chocolate icing like she had on her birthday. I said, "You've got to be kidding!" "You've got to be kidding!" She said, "No, I'm not." "Would you like to talk to Laura?" I said, "No way." She said, "Here she is." Then I said, "Laura Ellen!!!" She said, "Hi mom." I could not believe it. She proceeded to tell me what the nurse had told me she had said she wanted. This is a very long story I'm giving you the abridged version to but I just had to tell you at least this much.

Clinton and I were in disbelief--reluctantly optimistic. So at 2:00 Clinton went to see for himself. He says she is leaps and bounds improved. Even the nurses are amazed. He said he thanked them for letting her "put them through hell." They have been unbelievably patient with her. Never have I heard them complain--not even once. They just say this is what we do. Some of them have done it for over twenty years and they want to.

My sisters yesterday at 5:00 three of us went to pray over Laura. At 2:00 a.m. I called and Laura was violently screaming to the top of her lungs and had had to be moved to another room because she was so violent she pulled the shower head out of the wall. Sometime around that same time I started writing a message, and my friend woke up to find Jeremiah 40:4 which says, "But today I am freeing you from the chains on your wrists." She believed LAURA (THE CAPTIVE) HAD BEEN SET FREE!!! and my sisters she had. As we were praying over Laura I sang the song, "What Can Wash Away My Sins? Nothing But the Blood of Jesus." "What can make me whole again? Nothing but the Blood of Jesus." Today my sisters, the song Wes led during communion was "What Can Wash Away My Sins?" "Nothing but the blood of Jesus." I looked at clinton and he just looked back at me.

Praise God! Here's another part of a message from Teresa:

If Laura could only comprehend just a fraction of the good her illness has caused she would be in disbelief. I can't imagine what she would do if she knew the rest of the story.

Through all of this, God has been glorified and that is important to me--more important than my prayer being answered just the way I want. Even if I disagree with His answer and my situation, the important thing is God being glorified. Years ago while in the throes of depression I realized what Hebrews 11:6 meant. "But without faith it is impossible to please God: for anyone who comes to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him." After really "getting" this verse I gave God permission to do nothing. I realized that He could do anything He wanted, whether I agreed with him or not. Basically, He could do anything, even though I had given him permission to do nothing. I simply had to believe that He existed and that He would reward me if I diligently sought him. Period. It was at that moment that I gave God permission to be God. My job was to glorify Him. That is what I hope I have done thus far and what I will continue to do in the future. My heart's only desire is to glorify God.

"God does not require of us to have able bodies" is a quote I memorized long ago. It was significant to me, beause I didn't have one. I still don't. If I had to wait to glorify God until my body was able I would never glorify Him. That is why glorifying Him regardless of the situation is so significant to me. Even though Laura's body has been shackled her ability to glorify God has not. Even in her deepest hour, God through Laura brought me the verse that comforted me in my deepest hour. She glorified Him. I pray that by fleshing out the verse "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" I glorified Him also. [Just before being hospitalized, Laura chose this verse for our group's weekly meditation, not knowing what a strength it would be to her mom and all of the rest of us while she was going through all of this.]

God is in control. His timing is perfect. He never makes a mistake. God is good all the time. All the time God is good.

P.S. If you are on Facebook, join us on "The Titus 2 Group". It's a women's group led by Teresa. We are doing weekly meditations, in addition to other devotions. Jump right in!

The difference between 9 and 7

2009-06-01T20:41:00.005-05:00

[In the car tonight]

Maddy: Mom, remember that time when our car was breaking down, and you were kind of freaking out? [She's right, I did...not my finest mommy moment!]

Me: Yes, I remember. I should have handled that better. I'm sorry for scaring you.

Noah: Yeah, Mom, you scared her halfway out of her skin!

Maddy: Actually, I think it was only about 1/3.

{This proves that not only does she like to be precisely right, she also has mad fraction skillz.}

The difference between 7 and 4

2009-06-01T15:55:00.006-05:00

Noah: Jack, guess which superhero I am…

Jack: Uh, I don't know.

Noah: He's a DC Comics hero.

Jack: What's DC?

Noah: It's the people who make some of the characters. You know, like Spiderman is Marvel?

Jack: [blank stare]

Noah: Okay, here's another hint, he's the leader of Robin.

Jack: Robin!

Noah: No, he's the *leader* of Robin. Not the *answer* is Robin.

Jack: You mean Robin?

Noah: Uhhhhh! Okay, he has a foe named Joker.

Jack: What does "foe" mean?

Noah: "Foe" means someone who's bad and versus the good guy. {Can he verb the word "versus"?}

Jack: Oh, Joker!

Noah: No, his *foe* is Joker. Not the *answer* is Joker!

Jack: It's Joker!

Noah: Come on, Jack, he's the leader of Robin, he has a foe named Joker, and he's active at night.

Jack: You mean Robin's active at night? Or Joker's active at night.

Noah: Jack, his name starts with Bat and ends with Man.

Jack: Ummm….Joker!

Noah: No, it's Cat Woman, come on! {He's obviously inherited his daddy's sarcasm!}

Jack: Oh, Cat Woman! That's what I thought!

Noah: Uhhhhh! Jack, it's not Cat Woman. Is she the leader of Robin? No. He has pointy ears like this…boom!

Jack: Cat Woman!

Noah: HE, Jack, HE has pointy ears! Cat Woman is a SHE, not a HE! Here, I'll show you this action figure that looks like him…[holds up Batman figure] See?

Jack: OH, you mean Batman?!

Noah: Yes! You got it right, Jack! Great job!

Praying for Laura

2009-05-29T15:55:00.001-05:00

I'm sorry, dear blog, that I have neglected you. Facebook has been taking up most of my computer time, but I am determined to get back to writing and recording here.

Much of the rest of my time has been spent praying for a friend, Laura, who is very ill and hospitalized, suffering from hypermania. She is literally fighting for her life, and her husband {of less than two years--he could use some extra prayers} and parents are seeking guidance in getting her the best care possible so that she can "turn the corner" and come out of this. She has not slept in thirteen plus days, except for a few short bursts, and her mind will not slow down. She is a danger to herself and has had to be shackled once. The nurses are on guard at all times.

I am embarrassingly naive about spiritual warfare, but I cannot help but believe {as does her mother, at the least} that there is a war going on in her. Maybe not for her soul, because I do know that the Bible says we are "sealed with the Holy Spirit", but for her mind and body. And it seems that the more fiercely she is prayed for, and there are thousands praying for her, the more desperate Satan becomes and the more he throws her way. We are trusting that God has the victory! But that saying about "waiting is the hardest part"? Totally true.

So please join me in praying {for Laura, for her husband Clinton, for her parents, and family} for healing, for guidance, for peace, for patience. However you are led. God is already receiving glory through this situation as SO many are united in prayer and seeking Him more than we had been before. Lord, we know YOU CAN, and we believe You when you say, "I AM".

Wild Olive Tees

2009-05-29T13:56:00.003-05:00

Check out the great Tees at Wild Olive! They are a fun way to share scripture and encourage others while looking stylish :) Win-Win!! I heard about them from MckMama, who has her own tee, called "Unfolding" in white and chili. Gotta get me one soon!

One of those days

2009-05-12T13:13:00.002-05:00

Have you ever had one of those days where you went to bed relieved that your house is so ~~totally clean~~ much cleaner than the disaster area it usually is that you actually think you might just manage to keep it that way for more than a few ~~hours~~ minutes?

And then on that very next morning, your husband takes the 2 school-age kids to school without waking you up? And before he leaves, he sets the preschooler up with marathon episodes of ~~educational programming~~ Scooby Doo?

And by some miracle the baby sleeps until ~~7:00~~ ~~8:00~~ 9:00? And what are the chances that said preschooler would be quiet and not wake you up asking for a snack, a drink, to help him in the bathroom, to exclaim that Scooby just said, “Ruh-roh!” and isn’t that soooo funny!?

And so after sleeping until NINE in the morning, and waking up to a relatively clean house, and realizing that there is a strange glow streaming in your windows that has not been there for several weeks {hello, sun!}, could you even imagine that both of your boys would take simultaneous naps from 11am-1pm?

Then during that magical 11am-1pm timeframe, you have the luxury of checking email and reading blogs, while eating the last of the delicious tabouli leftover from the weekend {that no one else in the family would touch with a ten foot pole! score!}?

And then you even have time for a nice uninterrupted phone conversation with your husband while he is eating his lunch in his car because it’s nice outside and there’s nowhere else at his office to eat outside?

And then you sit down to do your meditation for today {in peace and quiet, which is kind of important when trying to, you know, meditate} and are totally blessed by studying a single word {praise} for no less than a whole hour?

Have you ever had one of those days where even though your day was surprisingly relaxing and wonderful, you still have no idea what to write about for your first “Mommy Moments” post*?

No? *blush* Umm, me neither…

*If you’re a woman who is on Facebook, please join us in The Titus 2 Group, led by Teresa Kimbel! This was my first “contribution” to the group.

Not Me! Monday

2009-05-12T13:07:00.004-05:00

Time once again to take a look at what for sure did not happen in my world this week! Head over to MckMama’s and read more Not Me! tales…

This week I did not agree to start writing a column for a women’s group on Facebook that I’m a part of. Nope, that would be crazy. And I certainly do not have NO idea what I’ll write about this week, or even what this column is going to be in general. And I’m definitely not confessing this on my blog now so that members of said group will now know how clueless I really am! Obviously, I’m totally capable and confident in this venture. I’m not absolutely inadequate and I’m surely not just going to have to totally trust God to lend me some inspiration here!

I have not been so overwhelmed by this precious Mother’s Day gift Jared gave me that I can’t even process it, so I haven’t been trying my best not to get emotional and fall apart. I was not so emotional Thursday night when he surprised me with it early {not because my mama and brother and sister were there} that I totally forgot to even thank him because all I could do was sit there and try not to totally lose it.

This is a family necklace he got me after Ruby was born, showing 2 parents with 4 children, but he had a jeweler add a RUBY to it, to represent ALL of us. And even more precious that the ruby is right on the daddy’s heart. To say I kinda love it is like saying the grass is kinda green right now in southcentral KY!

I was not giddy with excitement when my friend, Sarah K, after hearing me comment on a friend’s teenage daughter who is the spitting image of her at that age, told me that Maddy would someday be my spitting image. I also do not love love love Maddy’s hair and her gorgeously shaped mouth.

Okay, maybe she already looks a little bit like me!

I did not make approximately 12 trips to 3 different Walmarts this week {okay, only 6} because I did not make any lists for anything and just went whenever I thought of something else I needed. I also did not stop by the town where baby Georgia {and her lovely parents} lives, without having called her lovely parents beforehand, only to find out they weren’t home! And then I did not proceed to drive around that town {where we used to live}, amazed at all the changes, for no less than 2 hours without actually going anywhere! Gas isn’t that cheap!

I did not take this picture fully intending to someday have an entire series of “brothers kissing Maddy” pictures…because I have one of my brothers kissing me like this at my wedding. I also did not make my sister-in-law get one taken with her brothers kissing her at her wedding! And Maddy and I did not spend several minutes plotting how to arrange it next time so that all three of her brothers can be in the picture :)

And since you’re dying to know, of course, Noah will be behind her kissing the top of her head and Luke will be kissing the cheek. Oh but wait, she forgot that she absolutely hates when her brothers do this! Can’t you tell??

Not Me! Mondays are back!

2009-05-04T10:38:00.006-05:00

They're baaaaaack! Now that MckMuffin and MckMama are home, Not Me! Mondays have returned. So join me in being brutally honest and living to tell about it!

I absolutely, most certainly, without a doubt did NOT. . .

. . . listen to "The Ten Commandment Boogie" on a sampler kids DVD I bought at Lifeway for 75 cents and laugh uncontrollably for ~~two hours~~ ~~ten minutes~~ forty-five full seconds after hearing, for commandment #7, "Seven feels like heaven, but only with your husband or wife"!

. . . eat chocolate cake (followed by a piece of Easter candy) with Jack for breakfast this morning! I'm more health-conscious than that! And by health-conscious, I mean that if there are any unhealthy foods in the house, I am constantly conscious of them. And cannot rest until they are consumed.

. . . let little Lukey (almost 11 mos) eat about 10 bites of my pb&j sandwich last night before remembering (he's the fourth child, for crying out loud) that nuts are a no-no under age ~~one, so really it's only one month off~~ two, so I'm a year and a month early. I guess I can now say that he does not have a nut allergy. I also did not let him eat a baleada on his own and get it in most every nook and cranny he could find, and then document it in pictures because he is just that cute! . . . help my hilarious husband record the gradual shaving of his winter beard in photographs and video clips (some of which will certainly be used against him at some point in the future because they are THAT funny). He did not ~~wrestle~~ ~~rope~~ wrangle the kids into his Tombstone-esque hilarity and end up with a picture like this:

Wear ORANGE for Stellan!

2009-04-20T16:33:00.010-05:00

**STELLAN IS HOME! Thanks for your prayers!!**

**Update to the update**Stellan is out of surgery! Thank you for the prayers!

**UPDATED** Look at all the folks sporting their orange and praying for Stellan! (You can see my 2 younger boys in there--praying for Stellan in BG, KY!)

Baby Stellan, who I feel like I know so well, is having heart surgery tomorrow (Tuesday) and many readers of MckMama's blog are wearing orange in support of him. You can see here the inspiration for wearing orange. (No, not UT fans!!) If orange is not your color, would you please pray for him anyway? (And by the way, do you know what word looks like it's from some strange alien vocabulary after typing it out several times? Orange.)

Waiting for Pizza {Perfect}

2009-04-11T23:44:00.001-05:00

After a wonderful visit to the hospital to meet Georgia Grace, we stopped for lunch at Pizza Perfect. YUM.

The first First Cousin

2009-04-11T23:35:00.001-05:00

Georgia Grace is here!

2009-04-10T18:13:00.003-05:00

Georgia Grace White

born April 10, 2009

7 lbs 13 oz

I can't even describe how excited I am for my precious little brother and precious Maggie. Thank you all for the many prayers! God is good! Praise Him!

2nd anniversary of my 29th birthday

2009-03-28T23:15:00.002-05:00

{I’m 31.}

My mama made me a strawberry cake with the most buhwicious {Jack-ism} whipped cream icing! Even my non-icing-eating husband loved the icing!

I think the boys’ favorite part was the vanilla cone.

Jack is pretty serious about his ice cream.

Seriously. Too much cuteness for one picture.

Memaw with Lukey-boy

Me and My Girl

Maddy looked through her own jewelry box and chose this locket {that we got Memaw several years ago, that Maddy borrowed and was keeping in her jewelry box} to give me for my birthday! Precious!

My boys got me the only thing I asked for…a stainless travel mug! I love my guys!

Thanks, family, for my fun party and all of my wonderful gifts! I love you ALL!

Whiskers

2009-03-25T22:57:00.002-05:00

He went from this…

…to this…

…and finally this.

And then he went on to do this…

…and this…

…and ended up with this. Totally frame-worthy.

Well we DO live in KY after all…

2009-03-24T22:21:00.001-05:00

The third graders had an Appalachian Festival at school, performing a few songs and dances for the parents, and then touring each of the classrooms to experience Appalachian life. Maddy wore this cute apron from Dani’s stash of handmade things. I think she’s adorable, but I might be a little biased.

The boys got in on making a little mountain music…

Maddy put her hot air to good use playing the jug…

Praying for Stellan

2009-03-23T11:56:00.003-05:00

In lieu of "Not Me! Monday" this week, PLEASE pray for baby Stellan, who is fighting SVT (extremely high heart rate), which is what he was miraculously recovered from (among other things) in utero. Please, please pray for this family and that Stellan will "convert" to normal heart rhythms SOON.

Random Randomness

2009-03-19T16:04:00.007-05:00

1. Jack is asleep on the couch at 4pm, after also falling asleep at preschool at 1pm, and on the way home from preschool at 2pm. Just a wild guess, but I'm thinking he's coming down with something. Boo.

2. Dear Walmarts: Please inform your cashiers that the purpose of the reuseable shopping bags is to REDUCE, not increase, the use of plastic bags. I can understand how you would think this would be obvious, but clearly it is not. Bagging in plastic bag and THEN the reuseable bag defeats the purpose. And if I have more groceries than will fit in the reuseable bags I provide, DOUBLE plastic bagging is NOT required! Sincerely, Mrs. Obvious

3. These make me giddy. And I may just design my hypothetical dream kitchen around these. And my hypothetical dream living room around this, because black and white toile? With color embroidery accents? And peacocks? Sigh. But would it clash with this? Because I love it, too. And it's really quite practical because you couldn't find a stain on that if you tried, and hello, it's on SALE. If our trees ever start growing so much money that I can end world hunger, provide for all of the world's children, AND have some left over, I would love to spend a good number of dollars at that store. And by good, I mean at least 25,000.

4. Jack recently asked Dani if she would play "Hide and Go Think" with him.

5. Coconut Creme Coffeemate + Fernando's Coffee = Super Yum

Noah’s 7th Birthday

2009-03-17T11:13:00.001-05:00

Outside

2009-03-16T11:06:00.001-05:00

Waiting for GG!

2009-03-09T09:39:00.005-05:00

**Update: After a trip to the hospital and then to the dr's office, it appears Maggie was very dehydrated, thus the continued contractions. She has made some progress, though, so it still looks like it may be this week! Guess that little honey bun just wants to bake a little longer!

It looks like Georgia Grace may be making her appearance earlier than expected! We are just a LITTLE excited about meeting our first little niece/cousin! I'm sure Maggie and David would appreciate prayers for all of them today as they prepare to meet their daughter! We are prayerful that Maggie maintains her strength and that her body holds up well, and of course that Georgia Grace cooperates and comes out wailing! Can't wait to post pictures of the sweetie!

Green Acres

2009-03-07T16:54:00.001-06:00

**I feel the need to say that we both love both places...but this is our struggle!**

Green acres is the place for me.

Farm livin' is the life for me.
Land spreadin' out so far and wide.
Keep Nash-vegas, just give me that countryside.

Nashville is where I'd rather stay.
I get allergic smelling hay.
I just adore a Crieve Hall view.
Dah-ling I love you but give me Oakley Avenue.

...The chores....The stores.

...Fresh air...Town Square.

You are my wife.

Good bye, city life.

Green Acres we are there!

Nine month old

2009-03-06T16:42:00.001-06:00

*Thanks to Aunt Maggie for these cool letters! They have yet to make it into a permanent location, but hopefully they will find a home very soon. I just love them!*

**This outfit is a size 6 months of Jack’s that I could not find until now. I was determined to get a picture of Luke in it, even though he actually wears an 18 month size!**

Not Me! Monday

2009-03-02T10:43:00.007-06:00

It's Monday again! Time to 'fess up! Join MckMama and many others as we tell on ourselves again this week. The truth will set you free!

I did not get bent out of shape yesterday when I realized how pitiful Luke's gums looked, even though this is the fourth child who has cut their top teeth and I should know that they always look bad as they break through. No, I did not attempt to take pictures of his gums with Jared's work phone with plans of emailing them to our dentist (who happens to be our good friend and father of 3) who is skiing right now. Can you even imagine what fun they would have had laughing at me being so paranoid about BABY TEETH?? Goodness sakes.

I definitely did not let THIS CHILD hold Luke!

It did not just now finally occur to me to bathe Luke with the big boys. And he totally, completely, absolutely did not love it, as you can clearly see here from the sheer excitement on his face!

Geometry Jack

2009-02-27T12:39:00.006-06:00

"Mommy, do I look like an eyeball?"

"Mommy, can you even see me?"
"Mommy, I'm a triangle!"
"Mommy, I'm a line!"
Aren't you proud, Aunt Sarah??

**Do I even want to guess what the wet spots are? I've decided it's better not to ask.

Happy Birthday, Poppi!

2009-02-24T16:51:00.006-06:00

How old is Poppi?
M: 59
N: 47
J: 17

What does he want for his birthday?
M: To live here with us again
N: A football movie
J: A red blanket [This is also what he picked out for him at Christmas!]

What's his favorite kind of cake?
M: Tres Leches
N: chocolate
J: creamy with sparkles [sprinkles] that's white

What do you love most about Poppi?
M: He acts funny and calls me his monkey.
N: That he's silly
J: Playin' with him and lovin'

What do you want to say to Poppi on his birthday?
M: I love you and I hope you have a good birthday! And I hope you get to live here permanently!
N: Happy Birthday! You're the nicest Poppi ever!
J: I love you!

Oh they crack me up

2009-02-24T16:07:00.004-06:00

Noah: (arriving to visit at Memaw's house, very sweetly) Memaw, I'm not going to waste my time watching a movie while I'm here...I'm going to waste my time talking to you!

**********************************************************************************

Jack: ("reading" an instruction manual for the DVD player) So, first we have to compare and contrast...

**********************************************************************************

Jack: (inspecting the phone carefully) This phone says 2 + 2. How funny is that? (with perfect inflection!)

Me: What?

Jack: The phone. How funny is that?

**********************************************************************************

Jack: This map says we have to go 15 cybermeters. You're driving. Have a nice trip.

Not Me! Monday

2009-02-23T15:01:00.005-06:00

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I did not spend most of my week feeding this cutie-pie baby Tylenol and Orajel because he's working on cutting his top front teeth.

I am not totally and completely in love with those two bottom teeth he already has.

And you know I did not let him use his own cutie-pie toes as teethers, right?

Even if it made him this ridiculously happy?

I also did not take pictures of my drooly, teething cutie-pie while loads of laundry sat un-folded on the couch. Nope! Not us!!

Everyday blessings

2009-02-21T21:31:00.007-06:00

It's been a pretty normal week around here, thankfully. Other than an ear infection for Noah and Luke trying to cut teeth, it's pretty much status quo. Normal being, you know, this: ...and this:

...and then there was this:

...and how can I forget this?

Whew! We are plum tuckered out from all the normal around here!

WHEN DID THIS BECOME MY NORMAL??!!

Daddy's Girl

2009-02-18T11:34:00.005-06:00

There are some advantages to being the only girl...a Valentine's date with Daddy! They tried to hide their excitement: "Smalling Gothic"

But she was starting to crack...

Finally she admitted that she was slightly excited about a night away from the brothers.

What a special girl and special daddy! I hope she never forgets how dearly she is loved!

Momtessori

2009-02-17T17:33:00.002-06:00

My friend, Laura Beth, has a great new blog called Momtessori, where she shares fabulous ideas. She probably doesn't even know this, but she was the first person I remember meeting at Lipscomb. I transferred there in Spring 1999 from Harding (where I'd transferred in Fall 1998 from Western KY) and was at an orientation for transfer students that she was leading. I remember what a bubbly, optimistic, genuinely kind and giving spirit she had then...and has for as long as I've known her. I didn't know her beyond that interaction during my time at Lipscomb, but she married the brother of a good friend of ours (whose wife also has a great blog!) and we all went to church together in Nashville, so I got to know her for real :) As you will read from her blogs, she is creative, hilarious, and just all-around precious. Thanks for the wonderful ideas and encouragement, Laura Beth! Check her out!

"Not Me!" Monday (or Tuesday, whatever)

2009-02-17T12:50:00.009-06:00

Time once again for "Not Me!" Monday, courtesy of the coolest mother of MSC* that I know**, the one and only MckMama! Please jump on over there, share some of your own ~~insanity~~ honesty, and then allow me to not ~~confess~~ share some of the events of our week...

First of all, it is not true that all of the things I'm listing have actually happened in the last 72 hours because I cannot remember anything AT ALL that happened before that.

So, wouldn't you agree that a fourth time mom (technically 5th, but she's already been successfully mothered!) would know better than to leave Valentine's chocolates within reach of the 8 month old super-stealthy crawler/puller-upper/cruiser/climber who has just this week discovered that he really, really likes to eat (other than mommy's milk)? Of course she would! That's why I so did not let Luke get a foil-wrapped Spiderman chocolate off the couch (because what responsible parent leaves chocolate on the couch? NOT ME!) and put the entire thing in his mouth. He then did not sit perfectly still, in awe of the awesomeness that was in his mouth, while said non-existent chocolate melted and oozed out of the foil until nothing was left except the foil. His Memaw was not at all the only adult in the house paying attention and did most certainly not alert said fourth-time mom to the fact that her baby was eating chocolate. I did not then walk over, sweep the foil from his little slobbery mouth, and proceed to thank God that he did not swallow the foil. Surely I did not then giggle for the rest of the day at the fact that he LOVED the chocolate and that it was a pretty cute and fitting, although accidental, Valentine's gift to him!

And of course I took this as a reminder to be more cautious about things left around that he could put in his mouth, because AS SOON AS we got home from Memaw's, I did not put Luke down on the floor while I unloaded the Valentine's loot, only to have him crawl back to me 2 minutes later with an orange mouth, reeking of Dorito! Because you should know by now that I am not the kind of mother who would have missed the fact that Noah was eating Doritos earlier in the den (because my children always obey and always only eat in the kitchen!), leaving pieces on the floor. So, to sum up this Valentine's Day, the baby was not introduced to 2 different categories of junk food! Not in this house!!

Jared did (really!) take Madeline to a father/daughter Valentine's dance on Friday night. Afterwards, he let her choose a restaurant for dinner and she chose a seafood place named after a colorful crustacean. However, the Friday before Valentine's Day meant a 50 minute wait at 7:30 pm, so they opted for a different restaurant which she also likes. She was disappointed, but handled it well. Sooo... when Noah ended up spending the night with a friend on Sunday and Memaw offered to take Madeline and Jack for the night, we did not wait until after dropping off said children to go eat at that same seafood place named after a colorful crustacean with only the baby in tow. Without mentioning it to the big kids, of course. We are not that mean!

While mopping this week (I know, I know, shock and awe that I was mopping!)--Swiffering, actually--I didn't even let Luke chase the mop around because it helped dry the floor faster while also providing him ~~hours~~ minutes of giggle-inducing entertainment!

And on Sunday night at church, I did not willingly confess to Valerie, after Luke dropped his paci on the floor and she returned it to me, that I frequently put toys back in the diaper bag that have fallen on the floor with the express purpose of appearing to have some modicum of decency, when in reality, I totally plan to pull it back out for them in a few minutes without cleaning it. I would not do such a thing NOR would I admit to it if I did!

I sure am glad none of THAT happened to me this week!

*many small children
**I don't really know her but I have her blog in Google Reader, and I may or may not be ~~a stalker~~ capable of winning a MckMama blog trivia contest were such a thing to exist

Courage

2009-02-06T10:11:00.001-06:00

I wish I'd written this post myself!

To the Warren County Board of Education...

2009-01-29T17:03:00.007-06:00

Please accept this bill in the amount of $5,000.00 for the following:

Therapy for my children after seeing Mommy cry whenever the Polar Report comes on: $147.99

Water and detergent for 47 extra loads of laundry due to excessive clothing and dressup changes: $88.97

Copays for pediatrician visits for potential frostbite and various other cold weather-related issues because OH MY YOU ALL MUST GET OUT OF THE HOUSE BEFORE I START CALLING YOU NAMES!: $80.00 ($20.00 each child)

Additional groceries and snacks because SERIOUSLY why did I ever complain about $1.65 for lunch? They have eaten MUCH more than that being home all day!: $95.42

Hot cocoa, which apparently is NON-NEGOTIABLE for my children to play outside in the cold: $15.83

Meals eaten out because at some point, we just need to GO SOMEWHERE, ANYWHERE, and why not eat while we're there, too?: $52.50

Miscellaneous toys I caved and purchased after hearing about them for no less than 87 hours in a row: $62.47

Punitive damages, which would be higher but I think the limit, were I to sue for damages, would be $5000.00: $4,456.82

Thank you for your consideration. You can be assured that the punitive damages will go toward massages and other worthwhile forms of therapy (retail, food, etc) once the SIX DAY WEEKEND is over.

Sincerely,

Boorishly Grouchy in Bowling Green

Can you tell we're a little stir-crazy here??

**The picture is not directed at the school system in any way, just a reflection of how crazy we are starting to drive each other! No disrespect is intended, but it's the 3rd day we've been out and our "country roads" here are clear!! I love my children and am thankful to be able to be home with them, but OH MY I am tired and frazzled, as well as sad to think that these days OFF are going to mean they will be IN school on those lovely first days of June instead of at the park!! If you don't find this humorous, please just move on and pretend you didn't see it!

SNOW DAY!

2009-01-28T11:39:00.003-06:00

Alternate title: "At this rate we'll be in school til June"

Luke's first time out in the snow! He giggled when it blew in his face, but looked suspicious when I pulled out the camera to try to document it :) He's a cute little stinker!

I don't know why I try to get all 4 in a picture...it never turns out well. But here's my attempt!
"More bars in more places!" Ironic because the BG area (and maybe more?) has been out of AT&T cell service during the ice storm.

Catching snowflakes on their tongues

Aliens and Pirates

2009-01-22T17:28:00.002-06:00

Not Me! Monday

2009-01-19T11:59:00.005-06:00

It's Monday again! Head over to MckMama's to check out all of the things that most certainly were not done this week!

If you know me at all, you know that we for sure did not keep our pajamas on all day long! No, we always dress for success around here.

And while we were at Walmart this week, of course I did not let Jack talk me into buying Batman and Superman pajamas (with a cape attached for cryin' outloud!) for baby Luke!

And what kind of mother would let her 7 month old crawl around the house in nothing but his diaper when it is 2 degrees outside? Not me, that's who! And my couch did not spend most of the week covered in laundry. Nope, NOT ME! And a not-naked crawling baby Luke totally did not pull down as many of the folded clothes as he could reach and drop them on the floor or back in the basket. Nope, not us! We don't do silly stuff like that around here.

I also would never allow that same crawling baby to open the cabinet and pull out and chew on the kids' DVDs. That would be so irresponsible. And if I did do that, which of course I didn't, I would not continue chatting on Facebook while he did it. And I for sure would not update my Facebook status to admit that I was letting him do that or that I thought it was both cute and funny. Nope.
And for real, y'all, I would not run outside in my sock feet because I am too lazy to put on shoes and snap a quick picture of the barn in the snow. Which would mean that my feet would also not have been in the snow. That would just be crazy!
Finally, I most certainly, absolutely, totally and completely do NOT love this picture of my two oldest reading the Bible together (of their own free will)!

I got some 'splainin' to do

2009-01-16T10:58:00.004-06:00

I was watching the evening news last night, which I rarely do because I can't handle the doom and gloom perspective. They were covering the inauguration plans, and Jack (he's 4) walked in the room. Thinking he probably wouldn't have a clue, I pointed to the screen showing the president-elect and said, "Do you know who that is?" Of course, the screen immediately flashed to Katie Couric, and he did NOT know who she was. :) Then the president-elect came up again and he said, "That's Rock Obama!" I was quite impressed, especially considering he called him "Da Pajama" during the election. My "maybe I'm not a failure as a mother" bubble was burst when he followed that quickly with, "He stole all our money!" Do what?! Before you think we have a little racist on our hands, I finally figured out that he had gleaned this nugget of misinformation from a conversation I had with the big kids in the car BEFORE the election in which I said in very general terms something along the lines of "Republicans think people are the best stewards of their own money and Democrats think the government is the best steward of people's money." Apparently in his mind that translated to "Barack Obama stole all our money". Oh my. I hope he's not right.

"Not Me!" Monday

2009-01-12T17:13:00.007-06:00

I've enjoyed MckMama's blog for a while now, and love her "Not Me!" Mondays, where she describes things she most certainly did not do this week. I thought I would join in this week because there are several things that for sure did not happen to me!

First, I'll start off with something someone else for sure did not do...Jared absolutely did not let one of the wild barn cats into our house the other night while the kids were asleep! Nope, that would never happen here. And then that cat definitely did not hide under several pieces of furniture while we tried to trap him/her. I'm absolutely certain that Jared didn't say, "And that's how Jared got rabies!" right before the cat headed my way, and my response to that was not to squeal and back away from the cat, swatting at it and allowing it to crawl under yet another piece of furniture. Nope, not us. We've got it together here.

Well, that wasn't too bad.

You must also know that Jack most assuredly did not get his hands on a *childproof* lighter while I thought he was napping. And there is no way he got it to light for just long enough to leave TWO burn marks on the (vinyl) window shade in our bedroom. It's also not at all possible that this is genetically inherited from my side of the family, because my baby brother did not EVER take a lighter and hairspray and severely burn the mini-blinds in his room while we were living at home. Nope, not in my family. We are SOOOOO above things like that.

Even though Jack totally did not burn the blinds, if he had, I for sure, being the supermom that I most assuredly am, would not spank him and leave him in his room for the rest of the afternoon. And there's no way I would just totally ignore him because I was a little afraid of what I might do to him. Nope, not me. If anyone, hypothetically, had any suggestions for how they would deal with such a child, they could feel free to leave a comment about it. Not that I would need it, because none of this could ever happen in my house! And I did not tell the little mister that his daddy would deal with him when he got home. And I did not NOT tell his daddy what happened on the phone so he could have some time to prepare himself before he got home. And I most certainly am not hoping like crazy that Jared has some genius parenting trick up his sleeve to deal with this problem, because I do not have absolutely no idea what to do. Good thing, because that would be a tough situation! Whew! Glad it's NOT ME!!

See, that was totally not so bad!

Ok, it's time...

2008-12-29T10:21:00.003-06:00

The last couple of days God has really driven home the obvious fact that I need to get outside of myself to get out of this funk I'm in. I've come across a couple of things just since yesterday that have knocked me upside the head, so to speak.

First, I have Living Proof Ministries blog (Beth Moore) on Google Reader and although I've not been reading blogs very diligently lately, I did "happen" to open this one Saturday and read it. And I think it's a challenge God is asking me to accept. I hope you'll accept it too. It sure can't hurt!

Then later that day, in the shower (usually the only quiet time I get), I was thinking about the times that I have gone through major times of struggle ("the funk"), and it occurred to me that the 3 times I can pinpoint clearly were immediately following times where I was unusually devoted in my relationship with God and where I was in very good communication with Him (in the Word and praying LOTS) and really felt led by Him. And just as I felt I was finally getting a grip on our relationship and expecting great things, something happened that left me feeling blindsided, doubting everything I had just been through. Doubting that I could really trust Him with my life. And in all of those cases, I can look back (although not very far back this time) and see how satan immediately stepped in and threw a fit in my life. OH did he EVER. And I let him. I wrapped myself up in it and wallowed around. Let myself throw a big baby hissy fit right there with him. Became so self-absorbed that I couldn't see past my own hurt feelings.

The good news is, it appears that my recovery time is decreasing. Oh, trust me, I'm hanging onto whatever glimmer of even a hint of a speck of maturing that I can find in this process. There's plenty of mess here. I'm trying to find something positive, so just go with me here. 'Kay? 'Kay. Thanks.

So after my shower (yes, it was a long shower, but my kids were already in bed), I checked blogs before going to bed and "happened" to read Tiffany's. I could totally relate to the last paragraph, and felt so encouraged to know that my sweet, preacher's wife friend was right there in the same boat. And reading her thoughts solidified in my mind that God was trying to point us (me) to HIS WORD. As always. There's no magic bullet. I don't know why I can trust so fully in it when things are good and when He is working clearly in my life, but when I hit a bump in the road, that knowledge somehow gets ejected from my brain. Not surprising, but still frustrating.

Then this morning, another Deaton spoke God's Word straight to me. PRAISE GOD. (I accidentally typed "gold" first...that would not have been a good typo) As in, literally PRAISING GOD is the appropriate offense against satan's attacks. Yes, I meant offense. I'm ready to take back ground, not just defend what little I have left.

And then, as if that weren't enough to blog about, as I'm typing this out, I put in my new Brandon Heath CD (yes, I am the last person on earth without an Ipod) thinking, "'Give Me Your Eyes' will be a great soundtrack for blogging" (which it is), and track 3 comes on and I had to take a break from the blogging to check the lyrics and make sure my ears were not deceiving me. Because I cannot fathom another song that could have spoken so directly to what I was typing at that exact moment...I was in paragraph 3 ALREADY typing, "Doubting that I could really trust Him with my life"...yes, really.

TRUST YOU (Brandon Heath, Chad Cates, and Jason Ingram)

I can't walk without watching where I'm going...I can't speak without knowing what to say...
I can't love and have any hesitation...'Cause I know that You don't work that way...
I can't reach without something to offer...I can't come now, I am so ashamed...
I can't hold out on You any longer...'Cause I know that You don't work that way...

(chorus)
I'm not gonna fight You anymore...I'm not gonna try to lock the door...
You took Your life and gave me Yours...There's no reason why I shouldn't trust You with mine...

It's never easy changing direction...It's so unnatural to loosen up my grip...
Are You growing weary of all my good intentions?...'Cause I know that You don't work that way...

(chorus)
I'm not gonna fight You anymore...I'm not gonna try to lock the door...
You took Your life and gave me Yours...There's no reason why I shouldn't trust You with mine...

Some days the weight upon my shoulder is my shame...I know I should do better...'Cause You say...That I must now surrender...There's no other way...

(chorus)
I'm not gonna fight You anymore...I'm not gonna try to lock the door...
I needed life, You gave me Yours...There's no good reason why I shouldn't trust You with mine...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SOOOOOO....all of that to say, I hope you, WHOEVER YOU ARE, will first follow the links here (there are lots, I know), and then come back here and comment. Whether it is to just say HI, or to share that you are committing to the Scripture challenge, or to let me know you're praying for the Deatons, or to PRAISE HIM for whatever is going on with you, or to say that you also love Brandon Heath's music or WHATEVER...I could use some comments to jumpstart me back on the blogging straight and narrow! And I will not complain if you would like to pray that I can do more praising and less self-pitying in the coming days (weeks-months-years).

"Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul. I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live." Psalm 146

More Christmas!

2008-12-26T16:59:00.003-06:00

Whew! As if we hadn't already been sufficiently blessed this Christmas, we got together with the Paschals and Folkers for our annual Christmas brunch. Yummy cheesy grits!

It's hard to believe how many kids we have now...from left to right:

Ethan F, Jack F, Noah S, Luke S, Jack S, Willow P, Maddy S

I don't have access to my older photos right now, but here are some shots from the last few Christmases to see how these kids have grown!

Here is little Willow (with Jack S) on New Years' 2006:

...and Maddy, Ethan and Noah (NY 2006)...not sure where Jack F was...

Oh, wait, here he is! He did this to himself...his name IS Jack! (He didn't stay here long, I promise!)

And here they are last Christmas, 2007.
We're so thankful for these "cousins", too!

Smalling Christmas 2008

2008-12-25T16:24:00.001-06:00

As in previous years, we headed to Memaw's for Christmas breakfast, although this year we went to her new house. It was very bittersweet, since it's our first without Grandaddy. He was greatly missed by each of us, although I'm sure even more by Memaw than I can imagine. Memaw cooked us a yummy breakfast and then the kids (including us grownup kids!) dove into our presents. Somehow I only managed to take this lone picture while we were there. Hopefully I can scan some of Memaw's at some point. Here's my happyness, aka Noah, with Memaw's tree (post-presents).

And in keeping with tradition, we headed to Uncle Victor and Aunt Shirley's for lunch with their family. Again, it was difficult to not have Grandaddy there with his family, but it meant a lot to us to get to spend time with his (our) extended family there. We are so grateful that our kids have "cousins" (Jared's cousins' kids) that they enjoy seeing (although for some reason I have no pictures of them!).

Noah got a new Leapster from Memaw, so Jack inherited his old one. He was so excited to get to play it without having to ask Noah's permission!

Maddy loves to give bunny ears whenever she can. So proud of herself, and Noah has no idea :)

I'm not exactly sure why Jared changed Luke in the middle of the kitchen floor, but I'm not complaining because that's one less I had to change! And by the way, I love this floor. I had a cheaper version in our old house (the one I did myself while I was pregnant with Luke).
Hope everyone else had a wonderful Christmas! We are blessed beyond what we deserve!

Our first Christmas at home!

2008-12-25T16:05:00.002-06:00

This was our first year for the kids to wake up at their own house on Christmas morning! We've always spent the night with my parents, which was fun and special and had become our "tradition", but it was also nice to sleep in our own beds this time! Jared let them come in one at a time so they could each have a "moment" to see what Santa had brought.

Jack waited so patiently as the last to go...just look at the anticipation building!
Note to self...next year, do a better job picking up the room before Santa arrives, so we can tell what exactly he brought!
Maddy left Santa a note asking for him to leave her one of his sleigh bells, but he wrote her back saying he needed them to finish his big night, but he left her this newborn FurReal panda instead!

If Jack had gotten nothing all Christmas except this "Electro" and the other 2 Spectacular Spiderman toys he asked for and got, he would have been fine! When he opened his first present on Christmas Eve, from Dani & Poppi, (A NERF SHOOTER) he immediately started to have a meltdown because it was not these 3 Spiderman toys. Once we explained he'd asked Santa for those toys and that these toys were ADDITIONAL TOYS from family, he was okay. What kid gets upset at getting MORE toys than what he asked for?? Next year we'll know better!Luke slept through the morning's festivities, so I posed him by his gifts from Santa while Jared loaded up the other kids to head over to Memaw's!

Maddy adjusting her crown from the "Pirates of the Caribbean" costume Santa brought her:

The annual "Exactly WHO are these toys really for?" picture...Daddy loves the Transformers!

Caring for the newborn panda

Noah as a Jedi Alien or Alien Jedi, not sure which...

Christmas Eve at the White house

2008-12-24T16:13:00.001-06:00

The Christmas festivities began with Christmas Eve at the White house (sorry, when you grew up with White as your last name, that never gets old). Mom fixes us the most delicious finger-foods and we snack the night away! This year we remembered to get photos in front of the tree FIRST before the kids got cranky.

Luke giving Aunt Maggie some baby-playing practice before Georgia Grace comes in April!
Isn't she the cutest soon-to-be mama ever? She is absolutely glowing! And so is David :) I can't wait to see them as parents...and for Maggie's sake, I hope the payback isn't too bad!
Me and my wooly man

My younguns

Luke opening his first Christmas present ever!

Of course, he played with the wrapping paper more than the present itself!Aunt Maggie practicing (not that she needs it!) with the larger version kid

Pip and Sarah...aren't you thankful they get to go to their own quiet house?! Enjoy it while you can!!

The Queen and King

"Putting their heads together" is usually not a good thing with these two!

Noah is excited about his Star Wars Clone Wars Leapster game!

Who put THIS on his Christmas list?! (Oh, it was me)

Her last year in single digits

2008-12-12T15:52:00.002-06:00

"What?! Seriously?! I'm like an old woman or something!" Yes, my baby Maa-maa is NINE! Actually, I think she was in disbelief over the cashola in her birthday card, but she did totally say that when I told her it was her last year in single digits.

Maddy posing with Memaw and the Hannah Montana jackpot

Maddy posing with her recently-returned-from-Honduras Dani and a Barbie princessThey all look like they're in varying degrees of pain. I guess it is that bad posing with your brothers. She only felt obligated because they'd just given her the "Fairies" book you see in her lap.
At least somebody's happy!!
Why are the pictures of them together always almost good? If not for 8 different minor things, it would be a great picture :)

Happy 9th Birthday, Madeline Jean! I love you, sweet girl!

Liquid Luke

2008-12-12T11:38:00.002-06:00

It just occurred to me that since Luke can sit up, he could probably enjoy a big boy bath now! Poor #4. He was a little unsure, but of course as soon as crazy mommy put the camera away, he was all smiles :)

Randomness

2008-11-28T11:20:00.002-06:00

Luke loves his Mum-Mums!

Yet another, "Hey, Mom! Take a picture of this!"
Our mostly-packed living room/dining room
"Hey, Mom! You take a picture of me while I take a picture of you!"

"Hey, Mom! Take a picture of me! I'm a pirate Iron Man!"

Noah and his friend, Graham, a fellow big brother, at Baby Bible presentation

The only picture I have of all 4 kids at Luke's Baby Bible Presentation at church!

Daddy and Jack fell asleep watching cartoons!

Change

2008-11-12T23:11:00.004-06:00

Once again, I have confirmed that I am indeed a Republican. No, not because I voted for McCain (which I did), but because I HATE CHANGE! I hope in the near future, I will be enough adjusted to the changes that I can look back and see what in the world this is all supposed to mean. Right now it's hard to see past today and I'm just kinda stuck--with my fingers in my ears, singing lalalalala until the dust settles. I have not felt much like blogging about anything really, but especially about the move. It is hard for me to say what I think without whining and without getting overly dramatic. I think it would be fair to say I'm in a funk. A funky funk. I'm sure I will snap out of it at some point. I'll let you know when that happens. For now, I'm going to continue ignoring the elephant in the room (that we are allegedly moving in 2 weeks) and try to resume the posting. And I promise it will be happier than this particular post. The end.

We're getting a niece!

2008-11-10T11:04:00.003-06:00

David and Maggie are expecting Georgia Grace in April 2009! Maddy and I are especially excited to add another girl to the family :) Even Jared said, "Let the spoiling begin, let it BEGIN!" Must. exercise. self-control. Otherwise every lacy, frilly, pink piece of clothing from here to BG would be on its way to Maggie!

Wide Open Spaces aka Great Move of '08

2008-11-10T08:05:00.002-06:00

(and evidence of my lack of photography skillz)

Zai jian, Mei Lin

2008-11-09T10:26:00.002-06:00

This is part of Maddy's Mandarin Chinese class at our church in Nashville. She loved learning the language and culture. That makes her language-nerd mama proud :) Her class had a going-away party for her before we moved, with cupcakes, snacks, a card, and a gift of a Chinese dress and purse bought by friends of ours when they went to China to adopt their precious daughters! We are so blessed with such thoughtful and generous people!!

The board says "To: Mei Lin [her Chinese name] Zai jian [Goodbye!]

I am so impressed with how well she picked up the language, especially learning characters and the very specific sounds and tones necessary to speak. My nine year old can carry on a (basic) conversation in THREE languages!

There's really no explanation for this

2008-11-08T10:23:00.002-06:00

Journey to the Center of the Earth

2008-11-07T09:56:00.002-06:00

Believe it or not, Noah was a super-chubby baby (9lb 2oz at birth), not quite as chunky as Luke is, but more like him than any of the others. Now he is the skinniest kid ever, like his daddy ;) But every great once in a while, I catch a glimpse of that little baby boy face and OH I could just stare forever...

The kids wanted to see the new "Journey to the Center of the Earth", but rather than load them up and head to the theater, Jared rented the original 50s version and we pulled out the sofa bed to watch.Who looks most interested here? Jared doesn't watch a ton of tv, but when he does, there is no dragging him away!
The "little boys"

Christmas linkage

2008-11-06T10:24:00.003-06:00

Here are links to some moms' favorite toy ideas...and also just a great blog.

Prayers for our children...

2008-11-05T23:02:00.003-06:00

There is a great post here about praying for our children. I'm taking the challenge!!

Boys in the Floor

2008-11-04T09:39:00.002-06:00

Could this baby be any happier?

Oh, the things you learn when you're #4 with 2 older brothers...he's an early reader ;) I think he's learning about "Amazing Snakes" here...
Smalling Boy v6.8, v4.0, v0.5

Silly, Silly Smallings

2008-11-02T13:47:00.001-06:00

Noah got these "disguise" glasses in his halloween treats, and they provided hours (or at least minutes) of entertainment for the Smalling "kids"...

...from the biggest...
...to the smallest...

I don't know where they get all the crazy!? (Please don't answer that, Mom and Dad!)

MJ-CrazyPants (yes, giving HERSELF bunny ears)
"Say What?!"

JackE the Smooch

At what point will he not be shocked by the sight of the camera?

Trick or Treating 2008

2008-11-01T13:38:00.003-05:00

We've enjoyed trick-or-treating the last few years with friends who live in a neighborhood near ours. The Cromwells have hosted this, and we all bring food to share and send the kids out (usually with the dads) in shifts while we visit and supervise the little ones in the playroom. Dads who are not on trick-or-treat duty sit in front of the house in a line of lawn chairs and hand out candy. This year, they started asking trivia questions to trick-or-treaters and giving them candy based on how well they answered (they ALL got some, you just got more if you were right!). I think the neighbors began to wonder what was in the tea punch we were drinking!
Here's the Smalling clan, ready to go get some candy!!

Jack's 4th Birthday

2008-10-31T11:42:00.005-05:00

Birthday boy-Jack! Hard to believe he is FOUR! Although he is almost the size of...ahem...a 6 1/2 year old (Noah)...I believe this is our 7th superhero birthday party so far, and I'm sure it won't be our last!
Jack didn't really like cake at the time, so he asked for a big cookie instead. He wanted Spiderman's face on it, but the spider was the best I could do. Fortunately, he's pretty easy to please and was thrilled with this homemade version :)

I bought this cool thing on Craigslist for a great price, because I'd gotten rid of the exersaucer-type toy we had with the previous younguns. They don't make them any more, but if you can get your hands on one, they are GREAT! (And 3 months later, even now that he can crawl, it is still a huge hit.)
As we did for Noah's last birthday, instead of splurging for the $250 all out party at Pump It Up (we did that once and it was fun and all, but YALL! that would be A THOUSAND DOLLARS a year if we did that for all 4 kids), we allowed Jack to pick 2 friends to have over to our house for cake, and then took them to a new bouncy place, BounceU, which is closer to our house and has a "Family Night" where you get pizza and a drink with your 2 hours of bouncing!
I cannot believe I got a picture of all 5 kids together!! L-R: Jack, Noah, Nathan W, Nathan S, & Madeline

Jack thoroughly enjoyed the Galaga game...not that he ever realized you were supposed to put money in it to play :)
This was something new we hadn't seen before, a tower with levels of stretchy "webs" that you could climb up and then fall back through without risk of injury. The kids really enjoyed this, and I think Jared did too.

Luke was a little overwhelmed at all the noise and activity!

Happy Birthday, Jack!!

2008-10-30T08:53:00.001-05:00

Oh Wacky Jack, it is hard to capture in a blog post, or really at all, how full of life you are and There are so many lately, I've got to start keeping track again! His vocabulary has hit another big surge...

"tuwarious"--hilarious

"buhwicious"--delicious

"bisgusting"--disgusting (he says it correctly now and it's still funny!)

"oh, he's so adorable"--he says this for Luke almost every time he sees him and also for any other baby he sees

"Look, Mommy, I found a woley-poley. He's in a ball...I think he's scared of me!"

"butt"--belly button (This causes lots of confusion when he talks about showing people his butt...most recently he had Memaw worried that he was showing his butt until I asked him to show her his butt and he raised up his shirt and pointed to his belly button! Trust me, I am blue in the face from explaining to him that it is a belly button or navel. He is a stubborn boy!)

"kitcha wite"--kitchen light, he HAS to have this on to sleep. It is just about the only "currency" I have with him lately...he'll do anything to keep from losing his kitchen light at nap/bedtime!

Monsty--his (originally Noah's) doodle-monster, He sleeps with this and chose it to take for teddy bear day at preschool. He's attached to it, but usually doesn't take it with us when we go out of town and doesn't have any problem sleeping without it. He still relies heavily on the "suckin' thumb" for sleeping, though.

thumbs up--this is his new favorite thing to do...anytime I check on him or ask how he's doing, he gives me the thumbs up. Especially when he thinks he's made a good choice. He responds really well to making a choice between doing the right thing or the wrong thing. If I just tell him not to do something, he's likely to do it anyway, but if I ask him if something is right or wrong, he knows and chooses (usually) right.

He was playing with Luke's purple monkey chewtoy. He asked, "Is he full of nerds?" I think because he's purple and rattles? Then he told the monkey not to "push the button" which apparently he did because then he threw him off the side of the chair, looked at me and said, "Monkey is punished". Well, there you have it.

He found my insurance card and said, "Oooh, credit card!" and started swiping it through his hand like a credit card. We do not HAVE credit cards!!! We have debit cards, but pay for almost everything with CASH! I don't know where he gets this stuff!

We limit Hannah Montana stuff even for Madeline, but somehow Jack knows her songs! He is frequently heard singing, "I said, I said, I can't be Superman" (not exactly the right lyrics) and "You get da best a bo' worlds"...of course, this is often mixed in with humming the Darth Vader theme from Star Wars (dum dum dum, dum da-dum, dum da-dum) and "Teenager the Minja Turtles, dut, dut, dut, dut" (another argument I can't win...IT'S TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES...he will have NONE of that, thanks--and the dut's are counting time, Noah does this too...apparently my boys got rhythm).

Jack can make the most realistic sounding "throwing a Batarang" and "shooting a Spiderweb" sounds I have ever heard. Sounds exactly like the cartoons. I have video evidence on this.

Jack was in Ms. Gloria's Pre-K class like Noah was. Jack remembers Noah being in there so he thinks it is really cool that he is now, too. His favorite things are the spiders (pretend) and the fish tank. He thinks it's pretty cool that he gets to play computer, too, but was disappointed that he can't go to "kidswb-dot-com", since it only has games and not internet access (thank goodness!).

We were waiting on mom to get here to go to the adventure science center. Jack was looking out the window watching for her and said, "Dani's not here yet...I hope she's not in jail!" Yes, that would be the obvious explanation...

A box of diapers "fell" on Jack (he dumped them on himself) and he wallowed in them yelling, "diaper attack!"

This is annoying, but a Jack-ism nonetheless. He has started pointing and laughing at people randomly wherever we go. He'll say, "You're funny!" and he really means it as a compliment. He loves to be laughed at and can't understand (even though I've been over and over and over and over it) why others don't feel the same!

He also tells adults who are shorter than me (which is most, since I'm about 6') that they are "wittle". Usually, he's being so silly that they can't make out what he's saying so I just sort of mumble something else and move on. Again, he doesn't mean it in an ugly way, just in a factual way. Still, I'm tired of having the same conversation with him over and over and over...

"Ee-mazing"--amazing, he says this for many things, with great emphasis on the first (incorrect) syllable, funny!

He's all about cicadas.

"high five, bro!" He may have gotten this from watching Ninja Turtles.

rescape (escape) as in "You'll never-escape!" He tells me this when I tuck him in and he gives me a hug. For a long time he would say, "I neva let you go" and suddenly it changed to "You'll never rescape!" I love it. Also, the only way I can usually get a kiss from him when tucking him in is to kiss his forehead and tell him I took all his kisses and he'll have to kiss me to get them back. Sometimes he does it to me, although all it takes is one look at those poochy little lips to get a kiss out of me!

almost always puts his shoes on the wrong feet (I remember the other kids doing this), and almost always has either pants or shirt backwards. I suspect he does it on purpose sometimes. Maybe even all the time. He has control issues. As in, he wants to be in control of everything all the time. I have no idea where he might get that from.

The Lion Sleeps Tonight...

2008-10-29T22:30:00.006-05:00

By some miracle, this costume has lasted through 8 years and 4 children!

Luke's first Trunk-or-Treat and he slept right through it! Which made my job a whole lot easier, considering I still had the other 3 crazies to keep up with. They were all pretty good and seemed to have fun. What's not to love?! Costumes and candy? You can't beat that with a stick!

Madeline is a Water Fairy, costume courtesy of Dani's Sewing School! Madeline and Dani (emphasis on the Dani) made the dress this summer together. Madeline was a little uncertain about wearing it because she was afraid her friends might think it was too babyish, but in the end, she was very proud of it (and I could tell she thought she looked pretty cute...which she did!). (Sidenote: Have you SEEN the trashy options for young girls this year in the Halloween department? Made me stop and be thankful my baby still wanted to be a fairy!)

Water Fairy Madeline, Iron Man Noah, Spiderman Jack, and Lion Luke:

Black cat sticker: 10 cents
Pink vampire teeth: 25 cents
Giving your brother bunny ears: PRICELESS!
Love the pile 'o kids and their expressions here:

This is one of my favorite pictures ever...I have no idea what she's laughing at, but I don't really even care!

Happy Halloween! (known around our house as "Trick or Treat, Smell My Feet")

The boy is nothing if not healthy

2008-10-23T21:09:00.005-05:00

I miss blogging but have had neither time nor energy lately. My computer time is mostly limited to when I'm nursing Luke, so I'm free to browse but not so much to type :)

Speaking of the boy: He is large. And in charge. The kids were being extra loud at supper tonight (Daddy wasn't home and Mommy has a higher tolerance for noise) and Luke was in his "Intellitainer" (really, that's what it's called, but I highly doubt it is influencing his intelligence either way) and started yelling at the kids. Everytime they got to loud, he would squeal really loudly and they would all stop and look at him. He had total control over the entire crew and he seemed to know it. It was really funny to watch.

So back to the "large" part. Luke went for his 4 month checkup this week (a little late...hey, he's lucky I remembered at all) and weighed in at a whopping TWENTY ONE AND A HALF pounds (still off the charts, but actually closer than at 2 months). He's 27 inches long (95th percentile) and head size is also 95th percentile. He's just a big'un. He's wearing 12-18 month clothes. He's also rolling over both ways (front to back and back to front). Unlike the other kids, he LOVES to be on his tummy, so almost as soon as I put him down on his back (unless he's asleep), he rolls to his tummy and commences wiggling. He wants to get moving so badly! He is a very happy baby...who could blame him with all the entertainers at our house!? Jack still is very sweet with him and loves to find ways to make Luke laugh. The latest is throwing Luke's lovey (blankie) up in the air and catching it. Luke just cackles. And then so does Jack. They are fun to watch. It's amazing how long such a simple thing will keep the two of them entertained!

Inchworm

2008-10-08T11:39:00.003-05:00

Little (big) 4 month old Luke is a mover and a shaker. And a squealer. We are in so much trouble. I'm trying to get a better video of this, but he can actually inch his way forward several feet, as well as rolling front to back (not in this video). He would not cooperate yesterday when I tried, but it's pretty cute anyway! (And don't miss the video below I just posted of Jack!)

A Jack-sighting

2008-10-08T09:00:00.006-05:00

OH. MY. GOODNESS. While I was feeding Luke this morning, I looked over and Jack was thoroughly engrossed in reading Consumer Reports. And singing Blue Skies and Rainbows. I couldn't believe that my camera was actually within arms' reach to capture this scene. He never even noticed I was there. Precious-ness.

My China Doll

2008-09-26T16:23:00.005-05:00

Actually, this is Luke, NOT my China doll :) But he was too cute not to include. There's my China doll below, in the pink, making Moon Cakes with her Chinese class teacher, lau shi Wang (blue ponytail), to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. We have several Chinese members at church who have come through the Let's Start Talking program that is offered. We also have several families who have adopted from China in the last few years. Two of the Chinese families decided to offer a beginning Chinese class for children on Sunday afternoons and Madeline jumped at the chance. She's always been very interested in China and seems to have inherited her mama's love of languages, so this has been a great fit for her. They now are using a book and are really buckling down and learning a lot. Even drawing characters and such. I am so impressed by the teachers and also the students who are working hard to learn a language that is COMPLETELY different than anything they've ever known. It's a beautiful culture and fascinating language...but this is about Madeline! So the class gathered at the home of one of the teachers to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival together. You can read about this and the Moon Cakes they're making by following the links above. They were surprisingly (they're made from bean paste, but are sweet) delicious!

Here's Madeline with her twin, Jenna. When you're in elementary school, wearing the same shirt (yay Target) is a good thing! Here they are working hard. I had to make Maddy give other people a turn. She loved this. They use a special kind of wooden mold to press the cakes and then bang it to get it out. She really enjoyed that part :)

Angie, Luke and Jenna

Jack the Science Kid

2008-09-26T09:34:00.007-05:00

Before her return to Honduras, Dani treated Jack, Luke and Mommy to a trip to the Adventure Science Center. There was a demonstration starting just as we got there, so Jack got to see his Spiderman tshirt up close and personal under a microscope shown on the tv screen. It was a little over his head, but he did enjoy the gack she showed us how to make.

I love the Sit-N-Stand stroller I bought off craigslist! It is the easiest stroller to push that I've ever had (and this is the 4th, not counting umbrella strollers!). Jack loves being able to sit but not be in a "baby seat", plus there is plenty of room for his big long legs. Luke has since graduated to sitting in the regular stroller seat without his carrier. Speaking of which, if I can get the carseat cleaned up, I'm moving him into the regular rear-facing seat because I hate the carrier, especially when your baby weighs 20ish pounds! Luke was very interested in the sights and sounds. The video is him talking to the dinosaurs. Everytime they would start roaring, he would do this. I kept thinking he was upset (and by this time he was starting to get tired, but he was doing the same thing even earlier), but he was only doing this when he heard the dinos! He does love to communicate.

One of Jack's favorite parts was an area where he got to put on a labcoat and pretend to be Dr. Jack. He is a fan of playing doctor/dentist/vet, so this was right up his alley. Here he is taking his temp... ...and checking out his ears...
...and giving him a shot with an abnormally large syringe...
Luke was plumb tuckered out
This was Jack's absolute favorite part of the visit. There was a giant mouth with teeth that moved up and down. The goal was to throw the food (balls) into the mouth. It was pretty far away and he made about 472 attempts before he finally made a shot! Some big kids showed up on a field trip and he stayed right in there with them. Sometimes it pays to be the 3rd in a family of rowdy kids :-) I think Santa may be bringing him a basketball goal of some kind this year...he may not be the best, but he had LOTS of fun!!
This was in the preschool playroom. He walked over to the board and instead of using the shapes to create something, he started organizing them by shape and color. The ADD got the better of the OCD and he didn't finish his task. He does like order and organization. The Magic School Bus is one of our favorite book/video series. The boys especially LOVE it.

Jack was "not" scared of the dinosaurs. He is only posing for this picture because it is in front of the baby Triceratops. He tried to be brave about the T-Rex that was there, but it was obvious that he did not 100% believe that he was not real. There was just that little bit of doubt that meant he could not take his eyes off him for long. As Jared says, When there is doubt, there is no doubt. No doubt, tough little Jack was nervous!

Thanks, Dani, for a fun day!!

Baxter Dinner at Brentwood Hills

2008-09-25T14:29:00.004-05:00

My daddy (President of Association Amicus--Baxter Institute and JMA Clinic) spoke to a group of supporters about the great work going on at Baxter and the Clinic. I'm so proud of the work he and mom are doing there, and so thankful to be a part of a church that is so connected with that work and so supportive of it. I love it when things I love come together!

Rare pacifier picture of Luke. He's not been a fan for a while now, but it did the trick this night (I'm sure his Dani holding him had NOTHING to do with it!). Notice how he took the pacifier out himself...he loves that hand in his mouth!

Dani enjoyed some cuddle time with big little Luke I'm so thankful that Mom has been able to spend so much time here with us this summer. She really deserves her own post...hope to get to that one of these days, but it will take a LOT of emotional energy to say all that I really want and need to say about her! I'm so glad she's gotten to really bond with Luke. I know she's looking forward to bonding with another grandbaby in the spring, too!!
Madeline is such a good entertainer for her little brother. I was concerned she was at an age (almost 9 years age difference) where she is over babies. But she is great with him! She has been (and continues to be) a wonderful big sister to all of her little minions, I mean brothers! She can be a little *ahem* bossy (no clue where she got that, right?!), but she helps keep things moving at the Smalling house! "Little Mama", I call her. (Also Tattlin' Madeline, Mad Maddy, Maa-Maa, Princesita, Mads, Coconut, Melanita, Little Girl, Jean-Jean, Little Woman...)

Madeline gets her due...

2008-09-25T10:16:00.006-05:00

Two days in a row, I got very similar pictures of Madeline Jean:

(yes, we were sitting still at a stoplight in the car pictures)

Can't you just hear the "Mo-om!" She likes to pretend that she doesn't like the attention, but we all know she loves Mom's obnoxious documentation of every stinkin' little thing :) I love this girl!

**Even more Madeline pictures to come, I promise! The Chinese book in her lap is a clue!**

We're boycotting September...

2008-09-25T09:34:00.006-05:00

If we had the money, I might seriously go crawl in a hole for the entire month of September next year. Granted, it would be a well-appointed hotel room preferably on the Caribbean with unlimited spa access and massage services. But still. You get my point. Calgon take me away.

I know that it's so immature of me to just want to run away. I know it's not all about me. Jared's the one who's endured the funerals of both his daughter and father in this same month. I'm just feeling a little immature right now. So there. September stinks.

To be fair, there are some good things that have happened, too. Like big fat ooshy-squooshy baby Lukiness playing hide-and-seek with his burpy...

...and hilariously precious (or is it preciously hilarious?) Noah-boy who goes to a hibachi place and orders chicken nuggets and fries (he is not my child!)...
...and cute and curious Wacky Jack being mesmerized (along with Uncle David, apparently!) by the entire hibachi experience...
...and that cute happy couple over there who are getting a little practice in before they enjoy their own little bundle o' joy in April...

...and my handsome fella who looks innocent enough...
...until he realizes there's attention to be paid him!
Yep, it's been a pretty rough month overall. We are struh-guh-ling to see God's plan. But I think this one's got it pretty well figured out (728B-style, for you CoCers)...

If the skies above you are gray, You are feeling so blue,

If your cares and burdens seem great all the whole day through,

There's a silver lining that shines in the heavenly land,

Look by faith and see it my friend, Trust in His promises grand.

Often we are troubled and tried, Sick with sorrow and pain,

There are others living in sin blest with earthly gain,

Take new courage we cannot tell what the morrow may bring,

When the dark clouds vanish away then your heart truly can sing.

Oft we fail the see the rainbow up in heaven's fair sky,

When it seems the fortunes of earth frown and pass us by,

There are things we know that are worth more the silver and gold,

If we hope and trust Him each day, We shall have pleasure untold.

Sing and you'll be happy today, Press along to the goal,

Trust in Him who leadeth the way, He is keeping your soul,

Let the world know where you belong, Look to Jesus and pray,

Lift your voice and praise Him in song, Sing and Be Happy Today!

**For the record, I realize I did not include Madeline here, only because I do not have pictures of her or Mom at the hibachi place. They both make me very very happy and have been HUGE blessings to me this month especially. I have some cute pictures of Madeline for another post, so I promise, she will not be left out!!**

Fun times

2008-09-23T10:36:00.004-05:00

Luke has not yet officially become a thumb-sucker. In fact, it's looking more like he may be a 2-finger-sucker. Jack was a confirmed thumb-sucker by this age, but Luke just likes to suck/chew on any part of his hand. He will NOT take a pacifier, but there really are not many times that he seems to need "comfort measures".

Luke is a pretty content kid, as you would expect #4 to be. He likes to be up watching and squealing at the other kids, or whatever else is happening, but he is a good sleeper, and generally pretty happy as long as he is right in the middle of it all :) He has definitely found his voice and likes to be heard! He squeals more than I remember any of the others doing. It's very high-pitched and sometimes hard to tell, unless you can see his face, if it is happy or mad.

Luke lights up when he hears or sees one of the other kids (or daddy). His eyes get big and he cranes that neck around to find them when he hears them! It's so sweet. And although they are in his face a LITTLE less than they were at first (thank goodness, they were driving us both nuts), they still light up when they see him! Jack can be in the middle of a tantrum (pretty common lately) and see Luke and he just becomes an angel. I'm so thankful they all love him so much...so far at least. We'll see what happens when he starts crawling and getting into their stuff!

Brothers

2008-09-15T22:19:00.003-05:00

Biggest brother and littlest brother

All three brothers
He's discovered his monkey toes!
He recognizes the camera and usually gives it this look:
Only 5 minutes before, he had been laying on this blanket, smack dab in the middle of it, and managed to propel his big self this far backwards with his sticky, monkey toes!

Some Random Cuteness

2008-09-04T20:53:00.004-05:00

My prayer for today

2008-09-04T14:30:00.008-05:00

I started "Living Beyond Yourself" by Beth Moore today FOR THE 3RD TIME(edited to add: I have not yet completed the study...the key here is that I have STARTED it 3 times now). God has already spoken to me on DAY ONE through this study in a new and fresh way (FOR THE 3RD TIME). In a worldly sense, this week is possibly the worst ever, with Gerald's funeral just behind us and the 2nd anniversary of Ruby's death looming before us. Yet somehow it is already one of the most precious of my life. Experiencing God's faithfulness after losing Ruby, I am waiting in almost eager anticipation of what God will do now through yet another trial.

Lest it appear that I "have it together" in any way, shape or form, I'll confess that my baby is screaming in his bed and I am ignoring him to blog. Jack may or may not be eating ham straight out of the refrigerator. I just had to share the conversation (initiated through the homework from the Bible study) I had with God a few minutes ago...please read the link. I am amazed and thankful that He speaks so clearly, even through this here internet.

Lord,
Alter me from the inside out. Manifest the character of Jesus genuinely in my everyday life.
Melanie

Melanie,
I AM. Here's what I ask of you:
1. Be honest.
2. Dig deep.
3. Get serious.
4. Try harder.
5. Fall apart so I can piece you back together.
God

from Jared

2008-08-29T12:33:00.001-05:00

My dad went to rest with the Lord this morning. God blessed me and mom to spend last night with him and to be with him, holding his hands, as he died. He is my only hero. I pray the Lord helps me become half the father he has been.

Your prayers and concern have helped me and mom so much. "So much" isn't enough, but that's all I have for now. God bless you all for how you carry our burdens.

Your brother in Christ Jesus,

Jared

Wednesday AM

2008-08-27T11:45:00.002-05:00

Gerald had to be taken to ICU last night and will stay again today, but hopes to be back in a regular room tomorrow. He was supposed to be transitioning home today, but it looks like that won't happen for a few more days, at least. Thanks for your continued prayers.

update on gerald from jared

2008-08-25T09:28:00.002-05:00

The Dr told mom this morning that he saw no need for add’l PET scan. He was confident that dad has cancer in his right lung (but not left) and in his liver. He recommended a form of chemotherapy treatment to begin tomorrow (Tuesday) and dad has agreed. If this makes dad really sick, he doesn’t have to take anymore treatments. The next option is hospice.

Dad has some pain in his chest last night, and it seems that’s from the cancer, but we can’t be sure.

So that’s where we’re at. Nothing great, but perhaps the treatments can get him strong enough to go home for a little while.

Friday night

2008-08-22T20:45:00.003-05:00

Blogger just ate my update. Here's the shorter version...

No PET scan today (hospital error, collect $200?--Monopoly)

CT scan and brain scan--results Monday, I think

Lung biopsy yesterday--results Monday

Will meet with oncologist Monday to discuss results and treatment options--Please pray that there will BE treatment options.

Jared is at hospital tonight, Shirley is home in BG to rest tonight and gear up for another several days at the hospital.

Praise that oxygen levels seem to be somewhat improved, although this is the result of being on higher dose of oxygen. Pray antibiotics/steroids begin to take effect to clear up pneumonia and that this will bring some improvement in his breathing and clear up some of his confusion.

Thank you for your prayers and words of encouragement. Please keep them coming.

Friday morning

2008-08-22T08:05:00.005-05:00

Thanks to the Paschals and Folkers coming down and staying with our kids (even baby Luke!), Jared and I were able to go up to see Gerald together for a couple of hours. It was good to see him! He still has his sense of humor, as long as he's getting plenty of oxygen, but when he exerts himself (talking, moving around much), he begins to get confused until he gets his oxygen levels back up. He is on antibiotics and now steriods for the pneumonia, so hopefully when that takes effect, his oxygen levels will be better. We had been concerned that the confusion was something worse, but now that he's on oxygen, that seems to have improved, which is at least a small relief.

He is having the PET scan this morning as far as we know. I think it will be afternoon before those results are in. Please pray about those results. It is difficult to know what to pray for. We know God can heal him completely if that is His will. We also know He can take Him quickly if that is His will. We also know that in this fallen world, sometimes illness is a long and difficult process, and really we are hoping that will not be the case for him, but we trust God knows what is best for all of us, including Gerald. Thank you for keeping up and for praying for him.

**Thanks also to all of you who have emailed, called, prayed, offered to keep kids, etc. I know we are not the only ones who have gone, are going, or will go through this. Thank you for all of it. We hope to be more and more like the Jesus we see in each of you.**

5:15 update

2008-08-21T17:16:00.003-05:00

The bronchoscopy showed that there are some spots which appear to be pneumonia (as expected) and also a mass pushing on some part of his lung that is causing his difficulty breathing. They biopsied this but will not have results until probably Monday, which means he will be in Nashville until at least Monday. Also, plans are now to go ahead with the PET scan tomorrow (Friday) morning. Thanks again for praying. God is good.

checking in

2008-08-21T12:49:00.003-05:00

Jared just called and said the tests this morning did not yield any answers so Gerald is currently undergoing a bronchoscopy (?). Don't know what time we'll know the results of that.

Update, sort of

2008-08-21T10:19:00.004-05:00

There's not much to update, but I talked to Jared a few minutes ago and he said they did a CT scan early this morning, but the lung doctor hadn't been in yet to tell them the results. Apparently the top priority right now is finding out what is wrong with his lungs/breathing. For now, the PET scan has been postponed. They have told him he should expect to stay at Centennial at least a few days as they figure out the breathing problems and how to treat. I'll try to keep updating this blog as we find out more specifics to pray for. Thank you for lifting our family before the Father.