Say again?

The other day, as we were driving home from school, my daughter and oldest son were jabbering away in the backseat about a wild animal. I heard my son say something along the lines of: "He has to be careful - that animal is his creditor". Though their methods of taking care of business are sometimes eerily similar, I explained that animals actually have predators, not creditors.

Things that make you go hhmm. . .

Says the boy, "Is Daddy Jesus?"

Good-bye, Beijing!

Last night, we bade a fond farewell to the 2008 Olympic Games. We all enjoyed watching the athletes compete over the last two weeks. The kids especially enjoyed watching Thomas Finchum dive. His father teaches at Lutheran High of Indianapolis and they really felt connected to him. Our four year old, in fact, no longer wants to be a pastor when he grows up. Now he wants to be a diver. I recall similar aspirations in the 84(?) Olympics. I was sure (though I wasn't much of an athlete), that I would be the next Mary Lou Retton. Somehow, that's not exactly how my life turned out. . .!

In other news, my two middle boys (known for sword fighting, kung fu fighting, fist fighting, and the list goes on), wanted to take a bath tonight "just for fun". They wanted to wear their swimsuits, but I, being the kiljoy that I am, nixed that (who needs more laundry?). In a weak moment, post-dinner, I allowed this. After clearing the dishes, I headed upstairs to wash them and take an inventory of the situation. I entered the bathroom to be greeted by two naked boys standing (that's a no-no!) in the tub, squirting water on each other and the entire bathroom in general. After I cleaned the ceiling of dripping water, and a flood behind the toilet, I prepared to get the littlest boy into the tub. All this water inspired him to add some of his own fluid to the floor next to the tub. Ah, well. I suppose the floor was due for a scrub anyway.

Sigh. My intentions were good, but I can't seem to stick to blogging! If only there was some sort of award for people who mean to do something, but never get around to it. . . I would medal in that for sure (if I ever made it to the event without getting sidetracked).

Today was the first day of school, and the house was so quiet. With only one at home ALL DAY, I hardly knew what to do. I accomplished much, some of which was just having time alone with my youngest. We both loved the time together.

We ate at a buffet tonight (summer reading program free passes!), and my oldest son said, "This dinner is like the best meal of my life!". There's something so alluring about the ability to go back for seconds and thirds (and fourths!).

I'd like to say I'll be better about writing (although I'm not sure who reads this - Dad, are you out there?), but I don't want to make any rash promises.

A few of my favorite things. . .

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens. . .while those are lovely, I have a different list! In the spirit of Thanksgiving, just two days away, here is my list of favorites:

My delightful children
My amazing husband
My brand-new, large capacity, beautiful washer and dryer (in the dark of the laundry room today, I whispered my love to them)

Okay, I admit it. My daughter was begging me to update my blog, since I am quite delinquent in doing so. The most exciting thing I could think of was the installation of my new washer and dryer today. After two months of being dryer-less, nothing could trump that today! It felt inherently wrong to only be thankful for a washer and dryer, so I added my children and husband so as not to seem so materialistic!

I miss you already!

Yesterday, my dad and husband removed our sink and dishwasher. I bid them farwell with a tear in my eye, thinking of the next month or longer washing dishes in the bathroom. The kids think it's great; our stuff is scattered everywhere in the house. We do dishes in the bathroom - what will be next - the Kramer-esque option of preparing dinner in the shower "while I bathe?". I can only keep my sanity by looking ahead to how great it will be when it is finished. In the meantime, we'll just pretend we're camping. . .long term. . .while still trying to have a psuedo-normal life.

Incognito

Since my husband and I didn't feel comfortable using our kids' names on the internet for all the world to see (since I have SO many readers, you know!), I asked the older ones what aliases they wanted to use. So - here are my children's new names, and what they would have picked for themselves, had we not done it for them. Meet: our daughter Felicity, 7, our son Max, 6, our son Noah, 3, and our son Jacob, 1. Okay, the younger two didn't quite get the whole idea, so I chose for them. I've always liked the name Noah, but have always been veteod. Jacob was our second choice for our baby.

Speaking of babies, I just read of two babies with Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome who recently passed away. It was heartbreaking looking at their pictures online; they looked so similar to our little guy's baby pictures. Both these babies had other complications, but it certainly hit close to home. How thankful we are that our son was spared and we have had 3 wonderful years with him and look forward to a lifetime more.

The kids asked me to tell all their birth stories tonight. It took an amazingly long time to get through them all, due to the constant interruptions, but it was so fun to relive all their births. They were so interested in hearing (almost!) all the details. Finally, I have a captive audience for all the reminiscing I am so apt to fall prey to!