my cup

One of the mommy bloggers that I read was recently posting thoughts on trials in her life. She posed this thought, or rather her husband did:

What's in your cup is going to spill out when it's knocked out of your hands.

That thought has me thinking.

I've been blessed in so many ways. I can say that, up to now, my cup hasn't been truly knocked out of my hands. But it has been tipped a little bit here and there.

I wish I could say that it's only God's goodness and truth that spill out of my cup, but unfortunately that's not the case.

As my cup gets jostled around, I am often forced with the reality that I have been filling my own cup. I know this because it is then that I see that it is filled with selfishness, pride and my own weak attempts at good deeds.

I want to be filled with Jesus. I want my cup to be overflowing and my life to be evidence of that. I want my cup to be so full that others can taste and see that the Lord is good.

He is the Giver of all good things, the filler of my cup. This morning I again bring Him my emptiness, so I can experience His goodness. And I see again... He never fails me.

He fills my cup. And it runneth over.

and...

This is Robin.

Batman said so.

boys

We had 3 girls before we had our boys.  Boys were a new thing to us.  They still are.  I'm still learning and getting used to the wonderful thing that is a little boy.

Jacob is soon to be 4 now and is getting totally into pretend play.... boy style.  With the girls, we've done princesses and mommies, kitties and horses.  Not Jacob.

Today he is Batman and really, really insists that I (and anyone else who addresses him) please remember to call him Batman.  In addition, I am Superman and daddy is Spiderman, and we are being called such.

He has never seen these cartoons or read the comic books, but somewhere along the way, he has learned that these superheroes are very cool people.  He is running around the house, jumping, tackling, even "flying" off the couch... just like Batman.

He also loves airplanes...and trucks and motorcycles and pretty much anything else that is self propelled... but especially airplanes.  We've read the Jet ABC book too many times to count.  We both have it memorized.  'B' is no longer for ball, but for 'Bell XS-1'.  Just as 'F' is no longer for fish, but for 'Fighting Falcon'.

Ken pulled out some of his old flight gear the other day, and Jacob was sooo excited.  A little boy's dream come true.  Now, he can run around the house and pretend to be a real pilot... just like daddy.

If he stays this excited about flying, we just may have a future Naval Aviator on our hands.

You know. If the Batman thing doesn't work out.

Birthday girl

Happy Birthday to my beautiful Grace!

Yesterday Gracie turned 7 years old.  We did our traditional birthday breakfast, complete with purple pancakes in the shape of a "G".  There were balloons and presents and candles and lots of singing.  And this was all before 8am, of course.  

Ken was off work for the morning, so we got to spend the morning all together, just playing games and enjoying the day.  Since G got to choose what she wanted for lunch, she chose the fine culinary experience of Taco Bell.

Tomorrow night we are having a slumber party with a few of her friends and I'm sure there will be endless giggling and silliness, so I'll just wait and post all the birthday pictures then.  But for now, here are a few of my favorite memories of Gracie this year....

Roller blading all over the neighborhood.  Learning to ride her bike down the steps.  Her excitement for watching birds and making countless bird feeders for the back yard.  Playing puppies and kitties and "puppymentary" with her sisters.  Being her little brother's best friend.  Getting her 2 front teeth knocked out with a snow shovel (okay, that's not a favorite, but it's definitely a memory).  All of the animals and various creations she has made from things in the recycling bin.  Her beautiful artwork...drawings and paintings and pastels.  Her imaginative stories and deep thoughts.  Wearing skirts nearly everyday and looking like our beautiful little flower child.  Her contagious laugh and willingness to beat her own path.  Sledding and snow angels and playing in the rain in her polka-dotted rain boots.  All the sea shells she has given me and rocks she's collected.... never failing to take a walk without bringing me flowers she's picked.  And my newest favorite memory... the beautiful ring she made me for Mother's Day from a key ring and a purple painted seashell, all wrapped up in a matchbox.

I love you, our little California girl.   Happy Birthday!

Paw Sox

I had a great Mother's Day and my sweet husband gave me several hours in the afternoon to work on my pictures.  I hid in our room and worked on the computer somewhat undisturbed for quite a while... and I loved it.  The rest of the day was great too... lovely handmade gifts, a big breakfast, tulips.... a phone call to the doctor, a trip to the pharmacy and a kid with an abscessed tooth.  Well, that last part wasn't great, but that's a whole 'nother story. 

Anyway, back to those pictures I'm catching up on.  Last week we took in a minor league baseball game with the kids.  There is a farm team (is that what you call it?) for the Boston Red Sox near here... the Pawtucket Red Sox.  The kids has so much fun and definitely a favorite Rhode Island family memory for me.

These minor league games are so much for for the kids.  They all (especially Jake) thought the mascot was pretty cool. This is the "girl" mascot.  They have boy and girl polar bears as mascots.  Something for everyone, I guess.

We went to an evening game and managed to stay the whole time.  The weather was perfect.

Nathan did sooo well, especially considering we were out was past his bedtime. He smiled (although this picture doesn't reflect that) at everyone around.  And he even had his first taste of cotton candy.

Jake's favorite part was that all the seats had numbers on them.  He is beyond obsessed with numbers.  He also loved the scoreboard, the jerseys, the pitch speeds.  There are numbers everywhere at baseball games.   So he counted pretty much all night.  

The girls liked the baseball, but mostly enjoyed the other cool stuff....like the bear that threw out T-shirts...

...all the cool songs... like "Sweet Caroline", when everyone sang...

... the yummy ballpark food... snuggling  with Dad.  Claire told Ken during the game that this was the best night ever.

And, as if all that wasn't enough, the home team won.  

And.... it gets better... they had a huge fireworks show after the game.  So cool.

We didn't get home until about 11:30pm. With our car full of sleeping kids. Very fun night and great memory.

to the mamas

Happy Mother's Day....

To my Mama.... who raised me well, who loves me unconditionally, who laughs with me, listens to me and offers advice when needed. I am thankful for her amazing patience and wisdom, for her strength and for her character. For showing me what it means to be a loving wife and an ever giving mother. For teaching me when to be quiet and when to speak up, how to be strong without ever saying a word. She is the picture of the gentle and quiet spirit that I want to be, the pillar of strength for our family and a wealth of wisdom. She is the picture of real and authentic, never fake, yet always gracious, caring and kind. Ever giving and loving to my children in ways that only a Nana can. Always willing to listen to my endless ramblings and share in my ups and downs.... I know this because I still call her every single day. Truly one of my best friends.


To my Mema... who raised my mother to be the woman that she is. A picture of strength and of kindness all together. A beautiful lady from whom I have learned the meaning of perserverance and of hope. Her heart is for her family, and her thoughts , always on others rather than herself. A role model of courage and always there to listen.



To my Grandmama.... because she loves to laugh and she loves to give. Always willing to give of herself, her time, her money, her advice. A true Southern lady in every sense, always willing to put her family first.



To my mother-in-law.... because she has taken me in and loved me as one of her own. Because she loves my children so well. Because she gave to me one of the most priceless things in her possession... the gift that is my husband. A giving heart like no other who is always willing to put herself aside for the needs of her family. A fountain of wisdom for me to draw from in raising my own children, because she raised hers so well.



To Grandmom... because of her gentle presence and encouraging words. Her heart for the Lord and the example she's set. Her amazing faith and the years of wisdom from which she has to glean. Her gentleness and strength, an example for our family and for generations to come.



I am thankful for all the Mamas in my life. Thank you for making me into the Mama that I am learning to be and for continuing to set a godly example before our family. We love you.


"Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her, "Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all." Proverbs 31:28-29

where I've been and why

Not that anyone has been waiting on the edge of their seats.... but it's been a while since my last post. The main reason for this is logistics. It's just not as easy to blog now that we have put our computer away. Obviously not completely away, but away from the convenient place that it used to be.

Our kids love the computer. And, truth be known, so do I. But, simply put, we were just spending way too much time and mental energy regulating who was on the computer and when, whose turn is was and how much time was too much. We were also noticing that Jacob is significantly more "chatty" and engaged when he has no screen time. Our girls seemed to be able to function fine with some computer game time and a few videos here and there. But boys seem to be different. At least this boy. His mind doesn't seem to be able to focus when these things are in his world. So.... we removed them. Completely.

He no longer has any TV time and zero computer time. Sounds kind of cruel, doesn't it? Well, it's not. Our boy, who is and has been struggling so with language and engagement is suddenly a social butterfly. He's talking and laughing and playing and imagining and discovering new joys that he never even knew existed.

I don't think this is the only factor is this change we are seeing. We have also changed his diet and implemented a few more proactive things to help with his development. And even though I think he willl still need some speech therapy to catch up, I really think that this removal of screen time is the main thing that is making a difference.

I think (and it has been proven by people who are much smarter than I am) that "screen time", even in small amounts, really effects children's brains in adverse ways, and boys are especially susceptible to this. I recently read a widely accepted study that said that for every hour of daily screen time a kid has between the ages of 1 and 4, their risk for having ADHD by age 7 goes up 10%. (I would cite who did that study, but I don't remember... I read it while standing in the bookstore.)

A love for TV and computer time for our kids has never been a value that we truly desired to give to our children. In fact, we are, in theory, opposed to it. We've gone years in our marriage with no TV at all and hardly missed it. But as kids get older, life gets busier and my comfort is to gravitate towards what is easy. And that's what I've done. I've traded what is best for my kids for what is easier. So now... we pull the ox out of the ditch.

I'm certainly not proposing that our choices should be everyone's choices. I am, however, amazed at the difference I've seen in our family. It's a difference I knew would happen in some ways, yet was amazing in others. I'm seeing the value of the common-sense values of our parents and the fruit of passing those on to my children.

I like bandwagons. And sometimes I am prone to jump on them. But this, I hope, is more than that. It's a choice we're making for our family and I'm excited to see where it will lead. We'll still use computers for school and in a responsible way. And we'll still have the occasional family movie night. But without these distractions as a part of our daily lives, there are so many other valuable things I want to be doing with my kids. And now we have the chance to do them.

This week, we've hunted for snails and blown bubbles. Gone for walks, played in a field of dandelions, played dress up, gone to a baseball game, saw fireworks, and got haircuts. We went to the Children's Museum, played in the sandbox, walked on the beach, did a beach clean-up day and threw rocks. We did puzzles, went to the library, played with wiki-sticks and read a ton of books. We made birthday cards, practiced flashcards, played with friends and watched dump trucks. The list goes on. But those are a few examples of why I wish I had been bold enough to make this decision years ago.

A week without TV and computer games. And we're just so not missing it. Really.

And, by the way, you know that I took pictures of all of those things I listed up there. I just have to put my computer back together to download them all. :)