Loving my neighbor. Adventures in taking the bible literally.

"You boys need to tell your dad to come out here and fix this fence before your dog jumps over it and attacks my kids!"

These are words I overheard coming from my backyard the other day as my two boys, 10 and 12, we're playing in the backyard. I stepped into the bathroom and looked out the back window, giving me a good view of the backyard. I could tell my kids were spooked by this confrontation. I went downstairs and outside.

Long story short, I ended up at the back fence, anticipating a perhaps not-so-pleasant chat with a neighbor. She again passionately voiced her concern over the condition and safety of our sagging fence. 

Granted, said fence is about as old as our 60+ year old house. It once served as a safety net to a falling tree and is indeed quite saggy and sad looking. 

This is all stuff that I already knew.

She also felt the need (and seemed to find sadistic enjoyment) to tell me that my kids were HANGING on the fence, thus encouraging its sagginess. 

Hanging. Can you believe it? Boys, hanging on something. Huh.

(I'd like to mention at this point that I resisted the opportunity to tell her that one of her kids, turns out it's her grandson, climbed on (actually over) the fence as well. I also could have told her that he then proceeded to urinate in our backyard before climbing back over. Again, I decided to not add that particular fuel to this particular fire.)

I think she expected my reaction to my boys hanging (I believe the word she used was "swinging") on the fence to be one of disgust. I felt a shrug was sufficient. 

Anyway, back to this whole deal with my dog jumping over and attacking her kids...

Um, have you met my dog? I sincerely doubt he could hoist his 8-year-old, 85-pound body with his arthritis-ridden legs over the fence. Let's say for fun, though, that he did. The only harm that may come to them at the mercy of my dog would be being licked and befriended to death. People are his thing. 

We told her both of these, but she and the baby on her hip were unconvinced. 

My only recourse really was to reassure her that my husband and large son would indeed fix the fence. She assured me over and over again that she wasn't trying to start a fight - she just wanted her kids to be safe. 

I get it.

And I got to thinking about it. 

Jesus tells us to love our neighbor and I think I tend to take that un-literally. Our neighbor means people around us, right? Not our actual, literal neighbors? Maybe not. Will this lady feel loved if she feels her kids are safe? Probably.  Will it kill us to spend about an hour, some wire and some man-power on fixing a saggy fence? No. (We probably should fix it anyway in the name of good homeownership.)

Let's say we don't fix it - just out of a desire to be right. And let's say this lady happens to see my husband preaching somewhere or me leading worship. I wonder how much this situation might lessen the effectiveness of what we say and do. 

That probably won't happen. But it could...

So we'll fix the fence. And apologize for letting it fall in disrepair. And maybe bake her some cookies. And smile and wave at her a lot. And buy her a pony...

Just kidding.

House Rules

So we're getting there. We've got several days of school under our belts and we're chugging along.

Now, on to another matter. The HOUSE. Oh, it's bad! In the midst of our busy summer, we've let the house get a bit, uh... out of control. I don't think anyone has done an official chore in months. I mean, people will do stuff when I ask... uh tell them to but there's no order to our "madness." Now it's time to deal with all of that. We've got our scholastic wits about us and are back into the routine.

I was googling some chore charts and ideas and stumbled on a blog that had some house rules and when I started to think about it, dealing with the attitude behind the chores first may be the way to go. I edited those rules and are using them as a starting point. Here they are as they stand now:

Stevens House Rules

1.    Pick up after yourself

2.    No name-calling or mean words

3.    Be respectful of others need for space

4.    Chores and homework must be done before screens

5.    Be positive and supportive of your brothers’ efforts

6.    Manners! “Please” & “Thank You” will take you a long way.

7.    If you say you are BORED – I will find a job for you to do.

 

It's a start. I'm trying to add a little more - maybe make it a nice, even 10.

Thoughts, oh wise friends? What should I add?

"Stevens is a cool freshman"

I have been putting my children on big, yellow school busses for several years now. Yeah, I teared up a little two years ago when I sent my youngest off to kindergarten, but normally they (and I) are ready for school to start back up.

Today was different though...

Today I sent my child off to high school.

Yeah. High school.

I know I'm not the only parent in the United States that sent their oldest child off the high school for the first time this morning. It has happened for years past and will continue for years to come. It's just so... weird. I mean, I remember high school. It wasn't that long ago. (OK, maybe it was :-) I've been kind of building up to it all summer, but it's starting to hit me. He's in high school.

One thing we for which we are SO thankful is the high school that Josh has the privilege of attending. Eastern Technical High School is strictly a magnet school; there is no district -- it is by application and qualification only. Only one of every three students that applies is admitted and it is one of the best public high schools in the area. Students get to chose an area of study as well. Josh has chosen multimedia communications - computer stuff, video editing, etc. It's stuff he likes (and I figure you might as well study stuff you like since you have to be in high school anyway) What a blessing that Josh has this opportunity!

Actually, if I may brag on him for a second... Josh has been weightlifting a good part of the summer to get ready for football. Then, he's been doing two-a-days (8-11, 1-4) since August 16th. After 13 JV players were cut, Josh not only remained on the team, but also made 1st string offensive and 2nd string defensive.

He's also learning wonderful lessons about seniority and hierarchy. He's been with just freshman and sophomores (the JV team) during football preparation and has seen how cocky, mouthy freshman tend to get food thrown at them and mildly harassed. He's kept his mouth shut and worked hard. Slowly but surely, he's starting to make some friends, some of them sophomores. The other day, one sophomore was asking another why he was talking to Josh, a freshman. This kid's reply? "Stevens is a cool freshman."

Ha. Stevens is a cool freshman. Yesssss. I knew it!

More than two hours after Josh got on the bus, it was time for Micah and Jacob to do the same. They are starting fourth and second grade, respectively. They were both excited about starting school, though both said their tummies hurt a little!

So the house is quiet - just Tucker and me - and I'm not going to lie -- I'm loving it! My lesson schedule doesn't swing into full gear (about 20 hours) until next week (I'm in my last week of my August schedule -- only about a dozen or so lessons). I have an opportunity to get on top of things this week, organizationally speaking. I'm hoping to make the most of my time, while also snatching some time with friends here and there.

Ah. The change of seasons and times. It's good.

How did it get to be mid-August?

Wow.

Hi.

Remember me?

I know I'm in big trouble with some of you who have been checking in regularly (thank you for doing that by the way) and finding nothing. Nevertheless, here I am! Da ta da!

As always, the easiest way to catch up is in bullets.. and backwards, I guess. So here I go:

• Matt and Josh left for church camp on Sunday. I'm excited for the experience for both of them -- Josh especially. I've been holding down the fort with visitors and a delicate balance between busyness and laziness! I started back to part-time lessons last week, all the while working hard to fill my fall schedule.
• My parents also left to go home on Sunday. Mom was here for a whole week and Dad drove in just this past Friday. We really had a nice time. And the weather, oh, the WEATHER has been GORGEOUS! I don't ever remember August being so non-humid and nice :-)
• While my mom was here, we observed the third anniversary of Caleb's homegoing. It was a weird day, as it always is in some form. We kept the day pretty loose and mentally observed our own individual ways. We did go out to lunch and then on to the cemetery with flowers. Sorry I didn't do my usual reflective and lengthy blog. It certainly doesn't change the fact that it's still a difficult day and I still miss my boy...
  
• The day my mom flew in, Matt and I arrived home from two full days away to celebrate our anniversary -- 16 years. We usually only go out for dinner or at the very most, away for one night and home the next morning. But this year, we had the time in our schedule and the responsibility of our 14-year-old to hold down the fort and were really able to get away. We drove to Wildwood, New Jersey (on the Jersey shore) and stayed in a charming little bed and breakfast. We had a whole little cottage to ourselves. It was really a couple of days like no other. We had no schedule or obligations, went to restaurants, walked along to boardwalk, drove around Wildwood and Cape May and, the highlight for me, walked on the beach in the moonlight (Matt even made a sand angel!). I can't even begin to explain how wonderfully relaxing it was and how badly we needed it!
• About 10 days prior to our little getaway, we returned home from a concentrated month of Chain Reaction. We started in late June with our intern, Jess, arriving from Massachusetts. A few days later, Matt's mom and sister, Allayne, arrived for a week's visit as well. We were busy in our training and preparation for our first week: Baltimore. On a personal level, I was particularly excited about the Baltimore week. Not only was there a group coming from Howard county and another from a Mennonite church in Ohio, but there was a group coming from Trinity Baptist Church in Marion, OH; the church in which I grew up. Three of their leaders were people I had literally known since I was a child; two I grew up with in church and the other was my best friend in elementary school who lived down the street! Also serving as an adult leader was a woman whom I met and became friends with at a Women of Faith event last year. Not only was the week wonderful in hanging out with these old friends, but the true highlight was in the group itself. They came with such an amazing attitude to serve! They worked so hard and were truly open at the same time for God to do things IN them as well as THROUGH them. The rest of the teams were incredible too. Matt and I felt it was one of the best Chain Reaction weeks we've had to date. From there, we went to New York City to be a part of Abounding Grace Church's annual outreach -- Jesus Loves You New York. We got the opportunity to work with teams from Maryland, Minnesota and Florida. It was a hot, but good week. From there, we headed to our last leg: Haverhill, MA. We kidnapped one of the young adults from NYC, Frankie, and took him with us. This was the first year we went to the Boston area with no real service assignment, which was strange for us. We took a few days to be with the beloved Yeo family and to celebrate Micah's 9th birthday. We explored some parts of the area to which we had not yet been including a New Hampshire beach, Portsmouth and Kittery, Maine. We headed home from there sans our intern and via New York to return Frankie. We drove through a pretty nasty rain storm to come home, but were so glad to be back!

That's it in a very large nutshell. If you read the whole thing, I'll buy you a Starbucks or something!

School starts a week from this coming Monday. Hard to believe, yet true. I think the boys are ready to go back. Josh is both nervous and excited about starting high school. He's been working hard to get ready for football -- weight training since early June and starting two-a-days this coming Saturday.

OK. I'm going to finish watching tonight's installment of the Olympics and head off to bed. It's good to be back among the blogging. Big blessings to you as always...

Let's try this again

Birthday video from my boyz...

I'd forgotten how much I like summer

The last few days have really been wonderful -- not because of any great event but more because of the lack of one. I'd forgotten how nice it is to have nothing on the schedule. Since the boys got off of school Wednesday, I've been letting them stay up late, sleep in, watch movies, run around like crazy people, etc. I woke up this morning to a quiet house and no place to be and it was... bliss! I know it's not going to last forever. In fact, I plan Monday on getting the boys on their summer schedule, bed times, chores and those wonderful workbooks I always make them do over the summer. But for now, Jacob is watching TV, Josh and Micah are still sleeping, Matt is running errands and I'm sitting here blogging, listening to a neighborhood lawnmower and smelling the brewing coffee in the kitchen and getting ready to make banana pancakes. See? Bliss.

Last night, we ate outside (as we do very often in the summer). After dinner, the boys ran around and chased lightening bugs and rode the wagon down the hill. Matt and I just sat there and talked. I said, "Wouldn't it be great if we could just freeze this night and save it? It's perfect."

His response, "Not really. The dog is drooling on my foot."

Can't blame me for trying!

I hope you're enjoying a few lazy days of summer yourself!

Whew!

Notice anything different? Hmmm? Do I look any older? Yeah, yesterday was the ol' birthday. It was really quite a wonderful day. The was a lot of busyness (more about that in a second) and lots of people and I'm all about people.

So, yeah, yesterday. Matt preached at our church and did a wonderful job. He told our story and really used it to encourage people to trust God despite their circumstances. It was really great -- probably one of the best messages I've ever heard him preach.

We went straight from church, grabbed a bite at Wendy's, and Matt and the boys dropped me off at my next destination -- the church where I was having my semi-annual student recital. I was both nervous and excited about the recital. One of the main reasons for my nervousness was that I had almost twice as many students participating as I normally do -- 23 to be exact. I think the most I'd had up to this point was 13. I was excited about the variety we were offering in the program. When it was all said and done, everything went very well. We had our share of mistakes, forgotten words, etc. but that's to be expected.

Then we went to Don Pablo's with our friends. I got to wear a turquoise sombrero where the yelled birthday greetings at me. Matt and the boys got my a new iPod. Good birthday. I'm blessed.

I am so ready for life to slow down! Lessons and meetings and school stuff... AHHH! It has seriously been crazy. But this week, this week my friends -- school is done on Wednesday, I have my last piano/voice lesson until August on Thursday, our last youth group meeting is on Thursday... everything is coming to a blissful halt. Don't get me wrong, I love what I get to do for a living but I am ready for a break. I'm looking forward to spending more time with the boys and, honestly, I have had NO time to get this house organized. I am really hoping to do that, too before Chain Reaction kicks into gear this summer.

Oh yeah, and I may actually have time to BLOG once in awhile!

Thursday Thirteen #12

I thought I would follow my dear friend, Ami's, lead (and by that I mean totally steal her idea) and make my T13 do double duty this week.

Thirteen Things I'd Like to Improve in 2008

1. Spend some time really focusing on God every day -- and it may look like something different each day. Something to keep my focus where it needs to be.

2. Exercise at least four times a week -- I started yoga on my OnDemand this week. It's only 10 minutes a day but a good place to start I figure (and I'm already feeling it!). Considering I lost over 30 pounds last year from just dieting, the exercise definitely can't hurt.

3. Lose those last 10-15 pounds -- I'll start with ten and then see how the jeans are fitting. I figure I'll want to go ahead and do the last five, but we'll see.

4. Get to bed earlier -- tough one. I'm such a night owl. I'm shooting for 11pm every night, though I've decided to let myself stay up later than that one random night each week (obviously, tonight's that night!).

5. Read to and with the boys more -- Micah has to do 25 minutes each night for school and Jacob is supposed to read 15 books each month. I love to do it, but it's so hard to make the time. If I can just remember they will only be this little for so long...

6. Stick to my housework list -- I have everything broken down into a miraculous plan - if only I can stick to it! In theory, the whole house gets cleaned each week. I open for tweaking if my plan doesn't work.

7. Read at least 12 books this year -- I'm going to shoot for more non-fiction this year.

8. Spend some time on craft projects (at a minimum) once a week -- my craft room is almost completely organized and set up. I miss sewing. And along those lines...

9. Finish 40 scrapbook pages -- If Scrappy Chicks continues to get together once a month like we've been doing, that's only 3-4 pages per month. This only counts for our family album. Special things like gifts don't count. I can't wait!

10. Master a few piano pieces that are currently out of my league -- how can I expect my students to advance if I don't push my self?

11. Play board games with my kids more; let's shoot for twice a month -- they're getting to an age where they really love board games (Mic and Jay) but aren't too cool for them yet (Josh).

12. Get together with my girlfriends more -- we have a MOPS reunion scheduled for next weekend. How timely!

13. Go on a date with my husband at least once a month -- 17 years of dating and still loving it!

Nothing earth shattering here, but I feel like these are attainable and will be good for the health of me AND my family.

What do you want to do this year?

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Well...

Tree is up, shopping is done, cookies are baked, snowmen are out, fire is in the fireplace, parents are coming, boys are wound up...

It's actually starting to feel like Christmas. Finally.

Thursday Thirteen #9

As promised...

Thirteen things I've done during my blogging absence

1. Went to an incredible women's encounter weekend -- Wow. If there was a way to describe the encounter weekend at Word of Christ Church in Bradenton, FL, I would do it. I've been a Christian for like 30 years and this is the most genuine experience I've ever had with God. There were some other really amazing things that happened regarding a situation in our past. I may explain it later. I also got to hang out at my friend, Sudi's, spa and got to swim in the Gulf of Mexico.



2. Went to Ohio for a quartet practice weekend -- This was like three days after I got back from Florida - a little insane. It was a good weekend, though. We've picked our contest pieces...we think.

3. Watched my business take off -- I had 16 students last fall. All summer I've been really praying for things to increase and doing some advertising in a couple of places. As of right now, I have 32 students in my home studio. I also have picked up a gig in Harford county at a church that is starting a music academy. I have three students through them and that is looking to increase as well. I'm working about 23 hours a week and really LOVE it!

4. Had a game night with Jess, Ami and Kate -- Yeah, you should be kicking yourself for missing this one. It was really the social event of the fall. We had WAY too much fun and were very obnoxious. There's another one in the works for January (right, ladies?). You might want to put in on your calendar. I'm just saying....

5. Went to Six Flags -- We've lived in Baltimore for eight years now and this was the first time we've gone. Our friends and season ticket holders, the Pitts, had passes and graciously brought us with them. We went on the last day of the season and had a blast. I rode the Superman. I kind of rock.

6. Reached my first weight loss goal -- OK. I haven't talked much about dieting because, well, just because. But I've been on Weight Watchers since February - on and off really. When we travel, I pretty much eat what I want, just not too crazy. Then when I'm home, it's counting the points, baby! I hit the 30 lb. mark earlier this month and right now, I stand at about a 34 lb. loss. I feel great love the way my clothes are fitting -- or are too big for that matter!

7. Did the dreaded, annual summer/winter clothing switch -- Oh, I hate doing this every year, but it's very necessary. It's really only Micah, Jacob and myself that I have to switch out. The hard part is that they grow so dang much. They have to try on just about every piece of clothing for us to decide what fits and what doesn't. It's quite a circus, but it's done... until spring anyway.

8. Celebrated Joshua's 14th birthday -- can you believe he's 14? I sure can't. Of course he is kind of man-sized so it's probably not a stretch for most. Anyway, I'm so thankful for my sweet young man. He's such a good kid. And speaking of Josh...

9. Watched Josh's football team, the Hamilton Tigers, go undefeated and win their division -- YEA! They're actually still going. If they win the next two playoff games, the get to play at M&T Bank Stadium (where the Raven's play) on December 15th. Let us know if you'd like to go.

10. FINALLY got our kitchen ceiling fixed -- I never wrote about this either, but long story short, half of our kitchen ceiling collapsed at the
end of July. It had to do with getting a new boiler in the spring and the way it affected the radiant heat in the plaster ceiling, blah, blah, blah. Anyway, the ceiling collapsed rather loudly and it was scary and messy and just sucked in general. After much dealing with our home-owner's insurance company and contractors and plumbers and electricians it's done. And it looks good. We had always planned to put recessed lights in the ceiling so this was our golden opportunity!

11. Scrapbooked not once, but TWICE with my friends -- We're making it a monthly thing. If it weren't for that, I would never get any pages done! I call us the scrappy chicks and we take turns meeting at each other's houses one evening each month. There's food and all kinds of silliness. I know you want to come...

12. Went to my BFF's 25th birthday party -- We had dinner with a ton of people at a restaurant and hung out afterward. It was fun. Happy birthday, Jess! :-)

13. Went to Ohio...again -- this time for Thanksgiving. We had a wonderful time and got to hang out with both sides of the family. It was a rather whirlwind trip, as being in two parts of Ohio in five days usually is, but we had a really great time. The boys got to see their cousins and we got to see our parents and siblings. My husband made an AMAZING turkey along with incredible cranberries and sweet potatoes. Seriously, you should hire him to prepare your Turkey Day celebration next year! Just a tip, though. Avoid the PA turnpike on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Yech!


Well, that's it. If you got through the whole thing, you get a cookie (one that is low in Weight Watcher points, of course). Have a fantabulous weekend and thanks for reading :-)

The First Day of School

OK. So the first day of school was almost a month ago now - August 27th. I have FINALLY gotten the pictures off of my camera and onto my computer so they are ready for your viewing pleasure.

You may exhale.

Josh leaves first. He's pretty hot stuff as an 8th grader this year. We were excited for him because this is the first time in about five years that he has gone to the same school the second year in a row. Between our public to homeschool to private Christian stints over the last several grades, he's had to make adjustments pretty regularly. I must say, though, that he's done extremely well. His average grades from last year were all A's and B's and he made lots of friends. He's gotten involved in the school's Bible club, is playing percussion in the band and is looking forward to trying out for the school play this year.

As you can see, Josh has grown a bit from last year. Since school has started, Josh has come to realize that he's not only the tallest kid in the 8th grade, but is taller than all but three of the teachers and administration as well!

Micah is in third grade this year. He thrilled to have some of his friends from last year's class in his class this year. I met with his teacher the week before school started just to let her know a little about what our family has experienced in the last few years and to touch base with her about his inattentive ADHD. She is an experienced teacher which set my mind at ease a bit. So far, he is doing great and really loving school.

Jacob was pretty sure at first that kindergarten was more fun than first grade. I think he's been won over, though, as he is learning a lot and really having a good time. He also has a lot of friends from last year in his class, which is nice. Jacob lost his first tooth a few days before school started, and his second last weekend. He's so cute, I could bite him!

The night before school started, we went to Friendly's to celebrate. We opted for the obnoxious 12 scoop, 6 topping sundae to share! It was so much fun and quite delicious.

Thursday Thirteen #3

It's been a long day, but I can't retire until I share...

Thirteen things that make my kids really cool

I have four great kids -- three on earth and one in heaven. My angel will be ten always and my three down here are 13, eight and six. I love my little men with all my heart and the following are some things that make them extra cool.

1. They're funny. It's fun to watch their sense of humor develop. Joshua is getting rather witty in his old age and Micah comes up with the most random stuff. Jacob just knows everything.

2. They're cute. Matt and I constantly look at each other and shrug, wondering how we produced such adorable children.

3. They're smart. Josh managed an average of all A's and B's in his first year back in public school in four years. Micah's reading improved greatly this year and Jacob got smileys all the way across!

4. They're polite. Yes, we have to coax occasionally, but the manners are there!

5. They are troopers. We drag them all over the east coast doing ministry for five weeks every summer. They sleep on air mattresses and sit through services and eat all kinds of different food. Overall, they don't complain and keep a good attitude (better than me sometimes!)

6. They love music. Obviously, this is a family thing!

7. They're silly. Tickle fights, ear eating, pretending we're puppies... you name it, we can be a pretty silly bunch!

8. They're loving. I get three wonderful good night kisses, three hugs and three "I love you, Mommy"'s every single night. Aren't I a lucky girl?

9. They're creative. Joshua and Micah are really into drawing and they're both good at it. Jacob likes to make things out of other things i.e. cardboard, toilet paper tubes, pipe cleaners, etc.

10. They love Jesus. Joshua's relationship with the Lord has really grown over the last couple of years. They all ask so many great questions and we have some conversations that really make ME think!

11. They help out around the house. Josh is especially good at keeping up with his chores. They all help out though, from sweeping to laundry to taking care of the dog.

12. They like and appreciate the humor of the Muppets. It's important. The Muppets are an acquired taste and my kids get them. Yessssss. Micah walks around the house saying, "Good grief, the comedian's a bear!"

13. I love them. I just do. For every reason and no reason at all.

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You can't handle the tooth

As somewhat "typical" Christian parents, my husband and I decided early on that we wouldn't put a lot of emphasis on the imaginary holiday characters like Santa and the Easter Bunny. We're not super dogmatic about it, but we don't usually initiate or make a big deal out of them. If one of the boys brings up Santa Clause in conjunction with Christmas we don't jump down his throat, but we do tell them that St. Nicholas was a historical figure and that their gifts come from family and friends. Wow. We're fun, huh.

For me, however, there is one exception.

I love the tooth fairy. And, yes, I lie to my children and tell them the tooth fairy takes their teeth and leaves currency in exchange. I really get into, too. When they ask questions about this and that with the tooth fairy I make up all kinds of stories and well-known facts pertaining to our winged friend. It seems that I've gotten more into it with my younger two than our older two. When Joshua or Caleb would lose a tooth, I'd put money under their pillow, but let tham know that it was good ol' Mom and Dad and not some fictional nymph.

I don't know. Maybe I'm loosening up in my old age. I think when I was a newer parent I was more concerned about the "correct" way to parent and now I see the value or having fun with this stuff.

So Micah lost tooth #3 last night (with a little help from his father and some dental floss). Immediately, we discussed the techniques of exactly where to leave the tooth, how the tooth fairy will find it, and what her plans are for said tooth.

So I tucked my little darlings in with the mental reminder to give Micah some time to fall asleep and then do the switcheroo.

There was only one problem.

I totally forgot.

See, 24 was really good last night and I was folding mounds of laundry at the same time and... I just forgot. So at 6:30 this morning, a very panicked 7-year-old is standing by by bed whining, "I can't find my tooth!" I rolled over toward Matt and mouthed "Oh crap. I forgot," and then in the same breath, "Let me go look for it, bud. Sometimes she makes the money hard to find." I headed upstairs, first to my wallet and got a dollar out and went into the top bunk. He was right. I couldn't find the tooth either (I did find it later when I was making his bed). So I headed back down with the dollar and all was well with the world.

My husband told him, "You're lucky. When I was a little kid, I only had a quarter under my pillow."

Micah said, "When you put a little kid under your pillow, you get a quarter?"




So though I may not be the best tooth fairy in the world, I've decided to make the most of it with the teeth we have left. Micah has several more to go and Jacob hasn't lost any yet. I'm imagining the tooth fairy may leave them not just dollars but notes and glitter and whatever else I can come up with.

And next time, I will try really hard not to forget.

Happiness is...

Wearing stickers on your arm and a paper clip necklace around your neck!

Ahhhh!

I am sitting here, listening to my five-year-old crying in his bed because I threw away his old toothbrush (which was a little gross, by the way). Mind you, he has a perfectly good, much cooler (in my opinion) toothbrush.

And yet he cries.

Sometimes, you just can't win.

Too much sickness!

Hey everybody. I hope the sicknesses of winter have not been having their way with your family like they have with mine! There have been two brands of sickness with the Stevens: one is a not-quite-24-hour stomach that involves a decent amount of vomit, the other is a stuffy head, cold thingy. The latter sent Jacob to the doctor's office today with a diagnosis of a nasty ear infection coupled with bronchitis (which she said would have been pneumonia in another day).

So I've said all that to say that I hope your family is faring better than ours. Fortunately, we're on the tail-end of everything.

Stay healthy and warm!

Happiness is...

...wearing your pajamas to school!




(NOTE: this is the first in my new series of Friday Happiness is... posts. Enjoy!)

Rescue me

Would somebody please come and rescue me from all of these loud, smelly males? There is WAY too much testoterone in this house.









Help...