Exciting news!

Saja, 6, asked to be baptized last night. Our church will be licensing Chris on Feb. 7, so they're going to let him baptize her on the 14th! Daddy baptizing daughter on Valentine's Day!!! Isn't that sweet?!

Goodnight kisses

My boys are so affectionate. Tyler and Tobias have begun to play a goodnight game with me--when I get ready to leave their room for the night, I turn and say, "I love you! Night-night!" They either reply in kind, "Ly-lay-loo, Nite-nite!" or give me the flirty-eye. The flirty-eye looks like this: chin turned toward shoulder, slight smile on the face, and fluttering eyelashes. Then I say, "No crying when I leave!" They always giggle, because they know they're going to cry when I leave just to get me to return! When I close the door, they cry the worst fake cry you've ever heard. So I open the door quickly and say, "Hey, there's no crying when I leave!" And they both giggle. I'll lay my whole body on top of theirs so our faces are touching and say through puckered lips, "Gimme goodnight kiss." Sometimes they do, but most times they turn their cheeks and make me chase down their lips... which, of course, I do with glee. Bedtime can be fun, but it sure takes a long time!

THEN... I run upstairs to start bedtime for the older kids. I always kiss them on their cheeks after I read their stories, and sometimes, they'll throw their arms around my neck and yank me down, keeping my chiropractor in business. Tonight, David took my face in both hands, turned my lips toward his, and fish-kissed my lips ten times in a row! I left the room with a smile on my face and a light heart.

The most hilarious van adventure yet

So...

Praise God we're all safe and sound and tucked into bed tonight... and we didn't even have to call AAA Auto Services.

The girls wanted to swing on a friend's tree swing, so I took them over there at about 4pm. Tobias and Tyler had not napped, but I figured they wouldn't be too cranky with the outdoors calling their names.

Wrong.

Tobias fussed so much that I put him back into the car. Tyler thought that would be grand fun, so he joined him. They pushed the button on the van that automatically closes the door.

I knew that Tobias had a habit of plugging in our DVD player, which, when activated before cranking the car, will drain the battery. I also knew it doesn't happen ALL the time, and that I was parked conveniently for a quick jump, were it to happen today, so I let them play in the car for about 15 minutes while I kept an eye on them and the other children in the yard. I also chit-chatted with the Mommy-friend, Missy Rhodes.

Then it hit me.

Tobias has my keys. If he locks the door, I will not be able to get into the van. And I'm not so sure he'll be able to unlock the door on command.

I raced to the van, and sure enough...

It was locked!

I yelled through the window to Tobias. "Where are my keys?"
He went right to them... hanging out of the ignition.
"Can you push the button to unlock the door?"
He, in fact, did push a button. The LOCK button.
"No, no, baby, the other one. The UNLOCK button."
The lock button again. Sigh.
The he climbed to the door and manually pushed the button on the door--to lock it!
I suggested that he go back to the key fob and try again, and this time, he got it right, much to my joy and salvation from panic.

So, naturally, I tried to crank the car. D-E-A-D.
Missy offered to have her husband jump it if we had jumper cables, which I promptly located. Eddie, her husband, did NOT appreciate the fact that the red alligator clips were missing the rubber grips. Watching him try to attach the clips to the battery while thinking his risk of shock was high was like watching a little boy sneaking into the cookie jar. He jumped and squirmed and squealed, and finally asked, "Are you confident that this isn't going to shock me?" to which I, of course, replied, "Yes, I've seen Chris do this fourteen times." (Then I looked at Missy and mouthed the word, "No.") I offered to do it myself, but Eddie's ego would have none of that. He did settle down after I threatened his manhood. I missed a real opportunity with America's Funniest Home Videos having left my camera at home. Sigh.

Eddie, you could have won me $10,000. If I won, I would buy new jumper cables... with proper grips. =)

As soon as it cranked, Tobias turned the ignition back off. That boy.

Chris told me one time that driving four blocks doesn't do squat to recharge your battery, so if you have a dead battery, you should drive around 15 minutes or so. Our fifteen minutes led us to Little Caesar's, where I bought dinner for $5.46, and Kora fell asleep, and I nearly rear-ended someone while my attention was on opening the back windows for Saja.

But we made it home, safe and sound, and full. What could have been a tiresome, stressful evening turned out to be fun and injury-free. Thank you, Jesus!

Mary Kay Miracle Set really works

I started using the Mary Kay miracle set for my facial skin care two weeks ago. Last night, lying in bed with Saja, she caressed my face and then asked, "Mommy, why is your skin so soft?!"

Embarrassing moment of the day

Tobias stripped at basketball practice today. It was embarrassing. I'm sure I'll look back on it and laugh some day, but not now.

Learning new languages

Today at the Y, Saja squealed in excitement when she heard a young boy, about age 3, speak. "Mom, he's Spanish!"

I said, "I know. Did you say, 'Hola?'"

She looked at me puzzled and said, "He doesn't speak Spanish! He speaks... baby!"

Exercise and eating

We have to stop exercising to save our grocery bill.

The kids practiced basketball tonight, and when they came home, they had two helpings of dinner (which was really leftover lunch that they had refused at that time), two clementines, a half-cup of almonds, two bananas, and a third of a pint of blueberries--EACH. My eyes grew wider every time someone came out of the kitchen with another vittle in hand.

On the plus side, they ate my cooking. That's new.

So, I guess we'll keep basketball on the docket for now.

Reading with David

Disclaimer: I admit it--I push my kids academically. Not all 3-year-olds should have to learn to read.

David is almost 4. I went through Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons (which uses the Distar method) with Kora and Saja at age 3, so of course, David must follow suit. No options.

We stopped at lesson 50 before Christmas. He was being stubborn about it, so I decided to read colorful, easy Scholastic books with him to revitalize his enthusiasm.

Today, I reinstituted the EZ Lessons book, but we reviewed lesson 37. Here's how it went.

David read, "I am a log."

Then he said, "Ah, that's so funny. Logs can't talk!"

Then... the text said, "I can not sit on an ant."

... which he read perfectly.

"But an ant can sit on me."

David decided the story would sound better if he said, "But a tiger can sit on me."

... so that's how he read it.

I could NOT get him to sound out A-N-T if my life depended on it. I think EVERYTHING is a tiger to him. Heck, he's a tiger most days! So I'll laugh it off. I think it's still pretty good for a three-year-old.

Bedtime, anyone?

Tonight, I read Bible stories to the twins, prayed with them, lay down with them for a moment, then said, "Nite, nite, I love you!" and closed the door behind me. I always hope for a "Nite, nite, I love you," in return, but none was forthcoming this evening.

Then, as I usually do, I continued bedtime upstairs with the older children, reading stories and praying with them. However, half-way through, I heard crying from the twins' room. I let it continue 15 minutes before I intervened. When I opened the door, there sat Tyler, sans pajamas, complaining about, "Potty."

I quickly zipped him up and lay down with Tyler and Tobias for another moment to soothe them before I left again. Things got pretty silly! Tobias started playing peekaboo and the snoring game with me. Tyler kept crawling face-to-face with me and then giggling. Their favorite bedtime song? "I love Tobias, oh yes I do. I love Tyler, and will be true. When you're not with me, I'm blue-ooo-hoo-hoo. Oh, Tobias (or Tyler), I love you!"

I think I hear them dribbling the basketball now.

Oh, well. I'm going to bed. At least SOMEONE will be sleeping.

Ice cream in the winter

So... after naptime today, the kids received a treat--ice cream in a real sugar cone! Yippee!

Of course, it's 17 degrees outside, and about 65 degrees inside... not the best conditions for ice cream.

David knew this, being the smart fellow that he is, so he took his ice cream cone and stood in front of the space heater... facing it.

Drip, drip, drip.

Today's highlight

We had the twin's speech and language screened last week, and we were told they appear to be developmentally delayed. Neither one really speaks clearly, and definitely not in sentences. Imagine my surprise tonight when I asked Tobias, "Do you want some juice?" and he replied by holding up his cup and saying, "Just a little bit."

Tyler and Tobias both enjoyed Chuck E. Cheese this morning more than ever before. I gave them a cup with 10 tokens in it each. Tyler put all his tokens in the Clifford ride one after the other. Tobias figured out how to climb into the Monster Truck all by himself and enjoyed many minutes up there. Saja, Kora, and David plucked all the tickets off all the machines left from the early-morning test run, so we ended up with more prizes than ever before! We had the place to ourselves because of the light dusting of snow that shut down the world, and it was pretty awesome. I can see myself having a basement like that some day... minus the freaky robotic mouse and teeny-bopper music. Chuck E. Cheese- the place where a kid can be a kid--and a mom can have a break. We love you, freaky mouse!

Overheard:

Saja: "Somebody get me a pencil!" ... "David, you can learn to be a gentleman by getting stuff for girls."

English in Chattanooga

Kora: "Mom, when I say 'purty' instead of 'pretty,' it's because I'm trying to talk like our neighbor."

Competitive, me?

So, Saja and Kora had their first ever basketball practice today. We signed them up for Upwards basketball and requested that they be on the same team. This particular church decided to separate into a girls' league and a boys' league, instead of age-segregated leagues, so Kora, 34" tall and so many pounds, is on the same team, (and, I presume, playing against) full-grown Goliath second-graders. If nothing else, she will develop some scrap this year.

Both girls laughed until their voices gave out during practice. I know, I know, in high school, Coach Benton would have made us run ladders for such behavior, but it thrills me to hear my girls having so much fun. I hope sports will always be that fun for them.

So... at the end of the practice, the coach sat all the parents down to explain the Upwards rules: 1. Man to man defense always--decided by the color your daughter is wearing. 2. Substitution in order and fairness, not based on who's playing the best, so everyone gets the same amount of playing time (which actually plays in Kora's favor!). 3. The refs are volunteers, so if they miss a call, keep your cool, keep your attitude in check.

Eeeek. We haven't even started playing, and I'm already sensing a battle looming in the distance between my Christian self and my competitive self.

Bring on the Xanax!

Seriously, it will be fun. David found a soccer ball and ran himself silly dribbling back and forth across the court. Even Tyler discovered the mechanics of a bounce-pass tonight. Seriously. He's only 2. He did spend most of the night splayed across a volleyball on the floor as though he were a bridge. Tobias spent his time trying to dribble and then kick a basketball. I think we annoyed the other practicing teams. But you know what, I have a basketball team of my own in my house everyday! So if I find something that occupies all of them, like a gym full of balls, I'm taking full advantage of it!

(On another note, my hero husband rooted the pipes today, so no more sewage in the bathtub. Isn't that wonderful?)

A good day and yuck, yuck

We had a really good day today. We took the twins to a speech screening, and it was determined that they are, in fact, a bit delayed in language development. When we returned from the appointment, the twins played downstairs in the playroom while I taught the older kids. Saja's reading Sarah, Plain and Tall right now, and I cried twice during the first chapter! I remember reading that book as a child, but it seems to make more of an impression on me now that I am a mother.

Then we went to the YMCA, where I kicked my tooshie in a Step class. What was I thinking?

Chris, my darling, sweet husband, has been doing yucky work today--I threw a trash bag over the deck to the "trash area," and, of course, the bag burst. I intended to clean it up, but I persuaded my sweet husband to do it instead. He didn't complain one time... except to say that our trash can always fills up about halfway through the week. NOW, if you can believe it, he's got a coat hanger pushed through the toilet pipes trying to remedy a clog. We think a toddler might have flushed a comb... or a pair of scissors... or socks... or a water gun... or the toilet-paper-roll-holder... or a shoe... (these are all things we have found in the toilet on previous occasions.) And finally, someone has to clean the poo out of the tub. It almost makes you gag to read it, doesn't it? It's not poo that a baby did because of the relaxing warm water, oh no... it's gross sewage poo, complete with soggy toilet paper, now dried and crusty on the surface of the tub. Apparently, it's been seeping up through the bathtub drain. The whole downstairs reeks of sewage.

But that's okay, because no guests are allowed down there.

We keep them upstairs, with our dead Christmas tree and our applesauce-covered chairs. Care for a visit?

Laughter is good medicine for the heart

I want to laugh more with my kids. So I chased Tobias down the hall and back a few times before bed. Boy, was he thrilled. It was cute.

Tyler and Tobias each got a TAG, Jr. reader for Christmas. They played with them just before church. It's a toy that reads a book to them, but there's no pen or machine to break. (We'll see about that--people who use the words, "Unbreakable" or "Guaranteed" haven't met my kids!) Each page of these particular books we have play a Christmas carol or the Alphabet song. Tyler and Tobias, and occasionally one of the older kids, were jamming to the oldies all afternoon.

Speaking of, this morning, when we walked in church to drop the boys off in the nursery, Tyler wandered off. I finally found him 5 minutes later mesmerized by the rehearsal of the praise band. He looked as though he were in Heaven. If I had given him chocolate, he would have been in Heaven!

Kora told me her favorite part of the day was church, "because I can't remember any other part of the day."

David tried to sit in big church tonight, but when he started slinging his binoculars around up and down the aisle during the sermon, I decided we needed more practice before we attempted this.

Saja told us she wants to be baptized, but with all the other distractions of our misbehaving children, she, too, was whisked away to nursery. Our dramatic child, she lay on the pew in a pout, claiming her legs hurt too much to stand or even sit properly. So, off she went to play in the nursery, where the strength of her legs miraculously returned.

Now I listen to the silence and smile at my day. That, my friends, is my goal.

New Year's Resolutions

I recently read an article that suggested making New Year's Resolutions that you can keep instead of unattainable (and thus, discouraging) goals of perfections.

Saja and Kora have done just that.

Once we explained to them what a resolution was, they caught on quickly and wrote things like:
1. Read Bible every day.
2. Eat Candy.
3. Watch T.V. every day.
4. Be nice.

These are resolutions... if not in the grain we normally associate with New Year's Resolutions and becoming a better person.

It's Jan. 2, and so far, so good.

Wardrobe Malfunction

Tobias and Tyler wore underwear today. They eagerly put them on, and they just as eagerly take them off. Today, Tobias went upstairs into Chris' office wearing them, and then he took them off. As if to see how proud Daddy would be, he began the tedious process of putting his Elmo underwear back on... both legs in the same hole.

Then he tried to walk.

Then he fell over.

Then he cried.

You can guess what Daddy did...

Laughed.

And then repeated the tale so the rest of us could enjoy it.