Gifts

It's was one of those trips again... It started out well, loading up Emma & Jack in the basket of the cart at Target, and sitting Will up in the front. They were so sweet, huddled together, playing I Spy, looking for their best buddy, Noah, in the store. I got them popcorn & slurpees to sustain them for the duration of the shopping trip, but slowly (ever so slowly) the demeanor of the group seemed to slide downhill. Jack was really pushing his bad guy image. Emma was really starting to perfect her art of whine.

When it came time to check out, Jack continued just to be, well... Jack! He continued to grab at the conveyor belt. Emma continued to whine! I turned around and locked eyes with a fellow mom. Good- I see support, comradeship. We link eyes, and I feel her feel me & understand my frustrations. I grab the divider that Jack continues to mess with, after being warned many times to STOP! and, with his back turned to me, I pretend to hit him repeatedly over the head while I am watching my newfound ally. Jack & Emma continue their banter back and forth and something prompts Jack to verbally fight back. Whine for whine, right? The gentleman in the line over takes pity on my poor distressed son, just as the mother behind me, my chum, my companion, states (with her very sedated son in the basket of her cart) that that is why she only has one kid... What??? Et tu, Brute? I ponder while I feel a sharp pain emerge in my back. How dare you!!!

I will be the first to admit: My children have made me mentally insane. But there is so much joy that comes from raising these hoodlums. Does my pal know how Jack may claim to be a bad guy, but kisses every member of his family, tenderly, after praying for each of them at night? Or how Emma, whine as she may, took all morning at church to befriend and make a new child feel welcome?

There are many days, like this afternoon, where my family is misrepresented but regardless- my children are gifts, the most precious gifts from my Father in Heaven. I may make a big scene at the store or restaurant, when my children & I are just trying to figure the day out. I may run crazy after Jack while he runs down the street laughing insanely. I may make Emma cry at the tone of my very frustrated voice. And I may be currently & continue to be contributing to the overpopulation of this earth. But I cling to the verse from Psalm 127:3 that each of my children are a "reward" from my LORD. (And I will have as many as my Lord says...) They are my most precious, most cherished gifts.

Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him.
Psalm 127:3 NIV

Good versus Evil

Silent Eminisms

- Emma, fallen asleep on the highway with her favorite toy (of the moment in her mouth).

Upon return, on the same highway, I noticed her waving her hand in front of Will's face. Vigorously. She then proceeded to hold his foot with one hand and his hand with her other hand and bend them to each other back and forth. Vigorously. As she continued to do this, he was unresponsive. No giggle, no wimper, nothing.

-Emma, is Will sleeping?
-Yes.
-Please stop doing that to him.
-But he doesn't mind. He's still sleeping...

Disney Moments

Chaos Theory

My household isn't quite mathematical in this sense, but I believe that having Jack & other family members proves the chaos theory. Ok, in this way, I will define this: that everything in order moves toward disorder. Maybe this isn't what the scientists explored when they first came across this idea, but it occurs. And in my house.

We are waiting outside Baskin Robbins for our dear friends. Emma & Jack are clean from playing in the pool, in fresh clothes, diapers, underwear. The moment is serene. They are playing so well, chasing each other and making us laugh at the sweet noises that emerge from their mouths. The tranquility then moves toward chaos: Jack starts to spin out of control. He chases Emma, but passes her running farther and farther away from us. He is laughing like an insane person (this is a newly developed laugh that has emerged in the last few weeks). Roy runs to get him. Jack returns, but this time to turn around and run farther, leaving one of his shoes. Roy once again retrieves the rogue child. Jack disappears again, but this time, when he reappears his face is covered in what appears to be dirt. A look closer, Jack has come upon an abandoned chocolate ice cream cone, melting on the pavement. He has sampled it. Chaos...

No matter how I attempt to keep the order of our home, no matter how many times I pick up the toys and stow them in their proper place, I am finding over time, it really is pointless. My home is freshly mopped one moment, and covered in grime the next, from the last meal Jack has thrown at his unwilling target when he decides he is done eating.

After dinner, Roy ventured outside in the backyard with the blessings and the dog. He bathed Cooper, while the kids played in the pool. I came out to check things out, when Cooper decided he was done. Into the house he ran. Into my clean home, slipping & sliding, dripping & shaking in every part of my newly cleaned kitchen, family room & hallway. Chaos...

This chaos drives me crazy, but crazy as it sounds, it keeps me sane. According to common sense, I should be mentally unbalanced. Having three children under the age of four (two that are mistaken for twins) & a young pup is insane. But the chaos that is created in these days keeps me smiling, laughing; the chaos keeps me sane. If I could freeze these moments, capture them in my camera, to relive I would: I would relive the way Jack fell head first into the pool, attempting a sweet trick. Or how he holds his entire hand up in the air, attempting to hold up just his pointed & pinky fingers, while he shouts, Rock On! If I could only relive again & again how Emma said, Tully's da bomb; You go girl!, as she watched the small cat fight back while Cooper chased her. Or how she screams at the top of her lungs, begging me just to keep tickling her, while chasing her. Or how Jack verbalizes his independence, screaming a deep No! one minute, and then planting soft sweet kisses onto my mouth the next. If I could bottle up the smell of Will's being, that is so concentrated as he sleeps, but keeps me awake in the middle of the night while he nurses. Or how Will smiles his goofy grin and kicks his legs in excitement when he catches my eye... I will take the chaos.

Quirks

I've been tagged....!
Here are the rules: Mention the rules on your blog.
Tell about six unspectacular quirks of yours.
Tag six bloggers by linking them. So here goes in no particular order....

1.) I love ingrown hairs & big blackheads. I will only give my specials services to relieving someone of these if the are in my immediate family.
2.) I get really really angry, almost irate, with Roy when he is tired & cannot comprehend what I ask of him.
3.) I usually leave the toothbrush off the charger, right in front of it.
4.) I hate the wire hangers that Roy gets from the dry cleaners. If he does not dispose of them properly, I will find ways to seek revenge: hangers in his bed sheets, hangers in his brief case, etc.
5.) Good music makes me feel good, almost nostalgic.
6.) No matter what time it is when the kids go to bed, I have to veg out before I go to bed. I need my own time.

Now for Roy, & this isn't really part of the game. But how can I just post quirks about myself when I am blogging on our family's website...

1.) I leave wire hangers in random places of the house.
2.) I have to polish my dress shoes (& casual shoes) everyday.
3.) I have a big sweet tooth, especially for good sour candy.
4.) My dress socks have to be hand washed.
5.) At work, I only use micro fine unibal pens, in blue ink.
6.) I only BBQ with charcoal.

I now tag... Amy, Missie, & Michelle

Excitement

We are driving to Disneyland Sunday night. Roy & I can barely contain our excitement. The kids are trying to guess our destination, still with no clue what lies ahead. We reach Disneyland Drive. Emma spells out the street name & tries to sound it out. We pull into the park. Emma finally realizes where we are. I become so emotional, excited at her excitement, I could cry. This emotion makes me feel so silly, almost embarrassed but I realize how much I am in love with my kids. Emma is short for words. She keeps saying Dang-it! over and over again. She also comments that we didn't have to drive very long to get to Disneyland. I love how a child thinks. Once again, has she forgotten our 10 hours of being in the car the day before?

The kids beg for lollipops immediately when we enter the park. Jack nurses his the entire evening. His face, his hands, parts of his hair glisten in the light from the candied sugar. We have to ride Dumbo first, of course. Jack insists they are airplanes and not elephants. Will giggles in glee his entire first ride.

The greatest thing about this time together is thoroughly enjoying each other's company. I love our kids excitement. I love talking Emma into a new thrilling ride & watching her anxiousness & excitement during it. It's so fun watching Jack stare in awe at Mickey Mouse or watch Will memorized by the lights...