Twelve

One whole dozen.  Many things come in dozens – eggs, doughnuts, disciples, months… but not years.  They come slowly, one day at a time, slipping past like so many jewels on a string.  Drops of water that run continuously, forming a large stream, small things that turn into larger things.

12 years.

4,383 days.

105,192 hours.

6,311,520 minutes.

378,691,200 seconds.

That’s how long I have had the privilege of knowing this little man.  This miracle of life known as my son.  My precious child.  The baby I loved from before the first time I saw him.  Josiah, my firstborn.

These are a few pictures of the birthday boy.  His life began before I had a digital camera, so the first several years will be omitted in this pictorial history.  Suffice it to say, he has always been a cutie!

Over the years, he just continues to amaze me with his humor, sweet spirit, and tender heart.

Cute as can be…

He’s a great big brother.

All boy – not afraid to get down and dirty (or wet).

Loves to have fun with the family.

Never ceases to make me laugh at his antics!

Oldest child born of two oldest children (think about that for a while).

Enjoys making bunny ears on his siblings…  :)

Finds a solution.

Thinker.

Adventurous.

Good example (most of the time) to his younger brother.

Always ready to laugh!

Standing on the brink of life, just waiting to see what will happen next!

It scares me to death to have a child on the brink of adolescence, with the infamous teenage years just around the corner.  Where has all the time gone?  More and more I understand why God compares our life to a vapor – here for a moment, and then gone.  It really does seem to pass in the blink of an eye!

All that to say this: I love you, Josiah.  You make me so proud and happy!  I am so thankful for the privilege to be your mother.  Have a wonderful birthday!

Date Night

The other night, I went out with a young man.  No, not my husband.  Before the rumor mills begin churning out all kinds of supposed scandal, let me enlighten you.  This particular young man is my oldest son, Josiah.  He is eleven and one of the sweetest kids I know.  He has that pre-teen sense of humor that makes telling corny jokes a real pleasure, because he actually get them, and occasionally has a decent comeback!  :)

A long while ago, I took him out on a “date.”  He was instructed by his father to open my door and make sure he treated me like a lady.  He took his job very seriously, and did everything as he was told.  We had a nice time, but it bothered him that I paid for the outing.  He seemed to think that he had somehow shirked his gentlemanly responsibility by allowing me to pay.  (Never mind that he had no money and no job – I would never seriously consider a man like that, but since he is my son, it changes things a bit.) 

Apparently, this lack of responsibility has been chafing him all this time.  A few weeks ago, he began talking of taking me out again, with one difference – he  was going to pay for it all.  The problem was, I could never find a time that just the two of us could escape.  So, for at least three weeks, he mentioned it daily.  Never less than once a day, and usually three or four.  I began to feel a kinship with the unjust judge and the importunate widow.  I had to find a time for this date, just to maintain my own sanity.  Thankfully, an opportunity became available, and we hopped in the truck and headed to Wendy’s. 

I think it was the culmination of all his dreams – fries and a Frosty.  He ordered, and I found a table while he paid and waited for our food.  He carried it carefully to the table and thanked the Lord for the food.  I’ll give you three guesses as to who got the lion’s share of this meal… and the first two don’t count! LOL

Of course, we had to take our picture – easier said than done.  Here’s my cute little man.

He was all seriousness when we sat down, and began talking as we ate.  He said it was a much better date since he was able to pay this time.  I secretly agreed.  I thanked him for taking me out on a date, and his matter-of-fact response cracked me up.  “Thank you, Mama, for driving.  I might not have done so well.”  Might?  LOL!!!

I am very thankful for this little guy.  He is a blessing in so many ways.  I know the Lord has something special planned for his life, and I am so grateful that I get to be a part of that plan.  I love you, Josiah!

Holding the Fort

This week, we are holding revival meetings at our home church.  The weeks previous have been filled with special cottage  prayer meetings and earnest individual preparation.  The opposition to this meeting has been tremendous, especially in our own family.  I was unable to attend two of the three prayer meetings because Josiah had a severe earache.  While he had no fever, he was in a lot of pain, and I thought it best  to keep him  home, although I hated to miss the special times of prayer.

Sunday morning, I took the cotton out of his ear to put in his ear drops, and saw blood and pus (ok – I know that is really gross) in the ear canal.  I was instantly more concerned than ever.  Of course, nothing is open on Sunday morning, so I could not get him to the doctor until Monday afternoon at the earliest.  He still had no fever, and said the pain, while less than it had been, was still there.  I really didn’t know what to do.   I thought perhaps the eardrum had ruptured, but was unsure of what to do in that situation.  I knew the devil was really fighting this meeting.  We went to church anyway, since he couldn’t get in to see the doctor, and he wasn’t feeling too badly.

Monday afternoon, the doctor checked him, and thankfully, the eardrum was not ruptured.  it was however, sucking inward, due to the negative pressure coming from his throat and nasal passages.  I had never heard of this before.  I am still not sure how all the discharge got in the ear, but I was glad there was no damage to the eardrum.  The doctor also swabbed his throat, since it was all red and inflamed, and I was not so happy to find out that Josiah had strep throat.  Who knows how long he had been sick, and he never complained of a sore throat, didn’t sound stuffy, he just had the earache.

That day, our toilet also decided to stop working effectively, and bubbled ominously whenever flushed.  We debated on what to do, and there was a fruitless search for the plunger.  Random question: do people pack their plungers in a box when they move, or do they just throw them away and get a new one?   Whatever your answer may be, ours was nowhere to be found.  I had to go buy another one, and thankfully, with a vigorous plunging, the toilet is now back to normal.  Disaster averted!

Now that Josiah has been on antibiotics for 24 hours, he will be able to attend the services the rest of the week.  I however, think I may be coming down with something.  I guess only time will tell at this point.

In spite of all the opposition to the meeting, the services have been good, and God is working in the hearts of the people.  We are already seeing answers to prayer.  Thank God that He is the Overcomer!

It’s a Bird, It’s A Plane, It’s…

SUPER-SPUD!

When I came out to the kitchen last week, waiting on the table was a unique offering from Josiah.  An intricately drawn card proclaiming “Happy Birthday Mama!” written in filled letters -  cursive letters!   I was amazed at the time he had put into this card.  Sitting next to the card was the ultimate multitasker…  This was supposed to reflect my duties as mother, I guess.  That, or my child thinks I am some kind of potato-shaped monster.  Come to think of it, maybe a little of both!

Here is a breakdown of what I assumed each of these meant:

Obviously, in his opinion, one of my more important jobs is fixing meals, since two of the arms are holding food. 

The jester must mean my ever-present good humor and love for a good joke – as long as it isn’t too early in the morning… like the mouse in the oven trick.

The arm with the bracelet must signify my impeccable taste in fashion (har har)

Of course, I never leave home without my purse, since it contains so much valuable stuff!

The “thumbs up” hand either means that I like to hitch-hike, or that I give encouragement where needed.

I’m not really sure what I am supposed to infer from the Frog Prince, so we’ll just leave that one alone.

There are several extra hands that I guess do all the other things that need to be done – who couldn’t use an extra hand every now and then?

While the fact that I have no visible features is somewhat disturbing, I was pleased to note that he had me shod in a pair of sparkly pink heels.  Even my son knows how much I love pretty footwear!  All in all, it was a rather interesting perspective, and I enjoyed the thought that went into it. 

Well, I, Super-Spud, am signing off to get back to my multi-tasking…

If you had a super power, what would it be?

October Days

We are on the trail again, after several months of being in Mississippi.  It has been an epic trip, with us traveling all the way to Minnesota!  It was a long drive, but we were able to break up the trip with a stop in Missouri, where we saw some college friends.  I always enjoy our infrequent visits with college friends. 

Paul is participating in a men’s retreat this weekend, and I am going to be part of a teen girls’ activity: Cupcake Wars!  I think this weekend will be exciting for all of us! 

The weather here is quite a bit cooler than the weather in MS, and I was delighted to see that we are here in the beginning of the fall color.  We have some fall foliage in MS, but nothing makes brilliant color like the extreme northern temperatures.  The days are cool, and the nights cooler, but the skies are blazing blue, and the contrast of the leaves is breathtaking!

I took the kids outside yesterday to get a few pictures.  That went as well as it ever does, with as many chin shots, closed eyes, open mouths, and weird looks as usual.  I was persistent, though, and ended up with a few good shots.

This was the best of the group shots.  Love the nose wrinkle, Josiah.  Also love that squinty, cheesy face, Abigail.  They are both classic

This is my not-so-little-anymore man.  Love his sweetness.

Little Miss Mischief – I’m afraid she is very much like her mother… :)

Here is the little Pixie-Pie.  What a sweet thing she is!

And the Munchkin Man – he is ornery beyond belief.  Can’t you just see the little boy-ness just oozing out of him?

Just a few pictures of the kids enjoying the farm animals, and the lovely weather. 

Hope you all enjoy your fall weather!

School Days

With all of the hoopla of moving, school really crept up on us quickly this year.  I had (thankfully) ordered all of our books in the spring, so they were waiting, no – lurking – in a corner, threatening my summer happiness each time I happened to catch sight of them. 

However, life must go on, and with it comes schoolwork.  We were still moving and renovating the house when our  set-in-stone first day of school arrived.  I dragged out the books, and, flying by the proverbial seat of my skirt (can you do that?), I started school with no lesson plans made.  Argh!  Where was my brain? I hate it when I do that.  The kids do so much better when they have a plan to follow!  Anyway, that is the terrible truth.  I was unprepared. 

The good news is that we managed to get through the first crazy week, and a few subsequent crazy weeks, but now things have settled down into our normal routine.  Can I have a big “Woohoo!” right now?  :)

I did manage to snap some pictures of the kids on the first day of school.  They aren’t creative, artistic, or even great photos, but they are my babies, and I love them.  I think that their pictures capture their little personalities so well.

Josiah is in sixth grade this year – I really can’t believe it!  He is a responsible and tender-hearted boy, who works hard and is a good student.  He gets more and more like his dad all the time.  It cracks me up!

Abigail is in third grade.  She is as ornery as her picture indicates.  She loves to help in the kitchen, and is also learning to sew a little.  It will be a fun year.

Esther, my first-grader, is a sweet, affectionate child.  She gives hugs that literally take your breath away.  The violence of her affection amazes me! :)  She loves to help in the kitchen as well, and her favorite thing to do with Mama is scrapbook! yay!

Daniel, while not in school yet, had to be a part of the fun.  As you can tell, he is a crazy little boy who likes to ham it up for the camera.  These are the blessings I see every day – some days I appreciate them more than others, as you mothers will understand.  I do love them, though, and I wouldn’t trade the memories for anything.