Back to the Basics

I will continue the "My thoughts" posts soon, but wanted to take a quick break for some KJ stories and recent pictures of the boys. I suppose this is appropriate for Valentine's day, talking about two of the people I love most (after their Daddy, of course). KJ is developing such a funny personality. It really is best when experienced first hand, but I wanted to try to give you a glimpse:

- I have learned a lot about myself as KJ learns to talk. He repeats everything that I say, so it is like having a constant mirror showing you your true colors. I think the fact that he totally recognizes Target, Chick-Fil-A and Sonic is a true testament to his mommy's lifestyle.

- Ever since KJ was a tiny baby, I have been telling him the same verse before he goes to sleep, praying that he can claim it to take away any fears he might have. He has started saying it with me now and that just totally melts me. He has slowly been adding words that he says with us. We sort of let him fill in the blanks. One part says "you alone, oh Lord." However, when we say "You alone" he says "oh, man". I wonder if his Daddy says "oh, man" a little too often?

- We love Mondays for a pretty unusual reason...it is TRASH DAY. KJ loves all kinds of trucks, especially trash trucks. This last Monday we happened to be outside when the recycle truck came by so we chased it around the neighborhood with KJ in his wagon and C in the baby bjorn. I'm sure we were a sight, running from the end of one street to the next, but hey it was a good 30 minutes of entertainment and exercise. It was a pure delight for me to watch KJ laugh and cheer each time we spotted the truck picking up another trash can. Oh the little pleasures of life!

- KJ has recently taken to wearing one blue glove around the house all day (see pictures below). I can sometimes convince him to put it in his pocket instead, but mostly he prefers to just wear it while he plays. He tells me "brrrr, told" and goes to put it on. I haven't bothered to tell him that it is 65-70 degrees outside.

- He has started testing the limits lately and it is usually over things that shouldn't really be an issue. For a special treat last week, I was letting him sit on the couch and eat goldfish crackers (food usually stays in the kitchen). Suddenly he decided he needed to dump them all out. He held his cup straight out in front of him and looked at me, waited for me to say "Do not dump those out" and promptly turned the cup upside down. I was about to get really mad at him, and I told him to get down, find the fish and pick them up. He laid down on his belly in the middle of all the fish and started scooting around saying "Pish, waru (where are you), pish" as if he couldn't '"find them". How do you not just LAUGH?

Ok, thats a few funny ones that I can remember right now. Now for some pictures. C is growing like a weed. He was 10lbs when I took him to be weighed at one month. KJ did not hit that until he was 2 months. They are so different in some ways, but they are already becoming such good buddies.

Hope you enjoyed those as much as I do! I am blessed.

ABL

Moral Dilemma

Facing the following moral dilemma, what would you do?

Say you are leaving Target, having successfully completed a pretty sizable shopping trip by yourself with both of your boys for the first time. You get out to the car, unload the purchases, buckle both boys into their carseats and go to return the cart. As you approach the cart you realize that two items were accidently left in the basket, and did not get paid for. You look back to the boys, think how close it is to nap time and how you are already pushing the limits. Then you look to the items, take into account that the total of the items is probably $4. Do you:

1) Pretend like you do not see the items, leave them in the basket and hope the next person that finds them will return them inside.

2) Decide that the $4 pales in comparison to what you already spent and what you continue to spend at this establishment and just place the items in your bag. As consolation you think maybe your husband could return them later.

3) Load both boys back into the cart, grab the items, your wallet, and a fake smile and go inside to pay for them.

Based on the fact that I am telling this story, I suppose you can guess which road I took. Let me tell you, though, it was a dilemma and I did not take the high-road joyfully. When I looked at KJ in the backseat of my car, though, I just couldn't feel good about handling it any other way. I explained it to him on the way inside (as if he could understand), telling him how we have to do the right thing even when it is not convenient. I think the only line that stuck with him was, "Ah nuts, Mommy messed up and we have to go back inside". Now he's been saying over and over "nuts, side". Ah well.

I did buy myself some gum to make the trip worthwhile!

ABL

My thoughts (post 1)

Thanks to input from Jamie, I'll start with my thoughts on some recent TV shows.

Repulsion may be a strong word, but considering we don't have cable I think it is absolutely AMAZING that I have seen some of the following previews for new TV shows lately. I won't put the titles of the shows here primarily so my blog doesn't show up in google search for these, but also because I can't remember exactly what some of them were called (I was too repulsed to pay that close of attention). If any of you have watched these shows and can tell me something redeeming about them, I would love to hear it. Also, please feel free to comment and add to the list of shows to avoid.

1) Have we really become so desensitized to premarital sex that it is entertaining to watch a show where the tag line is "Shack up or Ship out"? SERIOUSLY? Do enough people enjoy sharing their bodies with complete strangers that they can find contestants for this reality show? I AM REPULSED.

2) Is it seriously entertaining to watch people air their dirty laundry on TV while attached to a lie detector? Do people really find pleasure in knowing how much sin their neighbor/friend/spouse/sibling/parent is living in? Maybe its me, but I tend to want to be ashamed of my down-falls, not make money off of them. Why would you sign up to be a contestant with questions like "are you having an affair", "do you make yourself throw up to lose weight", "do you cheat at work" (and those are just the questions on the previews)? As Mel pointed out, you really can't win. Either you answer truthfully and have everyone know, lie and have the detector rat you out, or don't say anything and give yourself away by default. I just don't think eating disorders and broken marriages are a great way to make a buck. I AM REPULSED.

3) Having known many a God-fearing man that would admit to having struggled with looking lustfully at women, especially those that are scantally clad, I hate the fact that there is a show where women are competing to become "pussy cat dolls". The way they dress, do their make-up, and dance ON THE COMMERCIAL was enough for me to say...I AM REPULSED.

Those are just the three that I have seen in my limited TV viewing time. If I can "stumble" on these three when I mostly TIVO everything I watch and do not even have cable, I hate to think what else is out there.

ABL

Thoughts to call my own

Although the recent postings on this blog would indicate otherwise, I do occasionally think about things other than my adorable two boys. I once thought of myself as a somewhat intelligent person capable of thoughts and conversations revolving around something other than the cute thing KJ did the other day or how often C eats (very often if you were wondering). Sometimes I feel like I've become, for the most part, BORING. So, in an effort to show some of my thoughts that are truly MINE and do not exclusively revolve around my children, here are some posts you can look forward to:

- Playground evangelism
- My shocking opinion on smoking bans
- My repulsion at some of the new TV shows (on regular TV)

Stay tuned.