Redneck Water Table

     Last Friday, Marcus and I kept a little girl named Harper at her house.  On their deck was a large water table, which Marcus ADORED!  So rather than spend the money on one, I got a little creative.  I filled up a big plastic bowl, gave him a few plastic utensils, and wa-laa!  A redneck water table!  Ok, so maybe it's not the real deal, but Marcus doesn't know any different.  In fact, he LOVED IT!  For a child that moves on to new things after about 5 minutes, he stayed out on the porch for a good half hour, splashing away.  Near the end I added a few ice cubes and this brought a whole new level of fun to the game for him.  I'm hoping that I can continue to find fun, creative, and CHEAP ways to stimulate his little brain as he grows up.

Oh, I forgot to mention this, but you already know it - HE GOT A HAIR CUT! (Thanks to Daddy's masterful skills)

Our child is perfect

     I am a card-carrying member of the Type A Club.  My house is always clean, my husband and I never fight, and my child...well, he's perfect.  His blonde hair is combed to the side and there's not a hair out of place.  He never gets sick, always obeys, and he's already potty trained, at 20 months.  I typically have the house immaculate, the table set, and supper hot and ready when my incredibly hunky husband walks in from work each day.  I gleefully greet him at the door, my pearls in place around my neck, as he dips me for a romantic kiss before crossing the threshold.  Our son claps in celebration as he watches, then returns to quietly playing on his own, but never making a mess.  Oh, did I mention he can already read novels?  He can already accurately pitch a baseball at 45 miles an hour.  We get at least 8 hours of sleep each night and have tons of money.  Do you need some?  Bless your heart.

     Raise your hand if you think I'm being facetious!  Only two things mentioned above are true: 1-I'm soooooo Type A  2-My husband really is hunky.  Have you seen him?

     I have been pondering this blog for a while and today was finally the day that tipped me over the edge to do it.  I started out the day with my usual list of items to accomplish but it seems as though hardly any of them got done.  What I thought would be a normal day ended up with Marcus being diagnosed as having Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease (don't worry - just a yucky virus, not a DISEASE) followed by a tirade of whining, screaming, crying "hold me!" and mess-making.  I didn't get supper made, the house was FAR from tidy, and that load of laundry I washed and dried yesterday is STILL in the dryer.

     Let's stop and start with this:

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.  Therefore, let us do good to all people, especially those who belong to the family of believers."  ~Galatians 6:9-10

     "Lord, I'm weary."  I told Him that this evening when my husband left to go to the gym, then off to his guy's night out.  "Come to ME all who are weary, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28), He told me.  I still felt myself getting angry with because my husband got to go work out and enjoy the company of others.  He wasn't quarantined to the house.  Why couldn't IIIIIII go?  The answer: "God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble." (James 4:6) "Simmer down, Sister.  No need to be haughty and proud."  I need to check myself.

     So what's the truth?  How does our life REALLY look?  Well, it's quite simple.  I strive for our life to look like that, but it flat out doesn't.  Some days, the house looks good when he comes in.  Some days I actually have supper cooked when he gets home.  Some days I have both (gasp!). But our precious son is FAR from perfect.  He's a lean, mean, mess-making machine and he's out to destroy everything in his path.  He's strong-willed, aggressive, and flat out loud, but I love him with all my heart.  Some days I think his little giggle can cure cancer.  He's working on that whole "obeying" thing, but some most days it's a struggle.  Yes, he's peed in the potty before, but again, it's a work in progress.  He does like to read, though (as long as there are pictures of things he knows how to say).

     Why do I write this?  To ENCOURAGE you (1 Thessalonians 4:18) that you're not the only one who wants that perfect life but falls short.  To ENCOURAGE you to press on and keep working TOWARDS those goals (be it daily tasks or high and lofty).  And finally, I write this so hopefully someone will tell me that I'm not alone.  Tell me that I'm not the only one who wishes I had it together, but I don't.  That doesn't mean I should just give up all together.  Where would we be then???  But I need not get so frazzled when every little thing doesn't go my way or when I'm thrown a curve ball.  I'm learning to roll with it.  How about you?

He's been in pajamas most of the day and I am dressed in a ball cap & a snot-covered shirt.  Hello, Mrs. Cleaver.

20 Months

     Our precious boy turned 20 months old yesterday and the changes and growth continue.  He is still a lover of any truck, animal, or ball and can spot any type of construction equipment from half a mile away.  His speech improves DAILY and he's talking in full-blown sentences now.  One of my favorite things he says is, "mon more song, Mama," when he's asking me to sing one more song at night.  He even woke up at 5:45 this morning screaming it. :)  All it took was one sweet rendition of, "Jesus Loves Me," and he said, "backta bed."  He also says, "Daddy" instead of, "Dada" now.  It's so cute when Mark pulls up and Marcus says, "Da-Deeeeeeeeeeee!"
     He's still large for his size and continues to grow out of shoes and some clothes.  It helps that it's warm and Summer is approaching because the shorts that were to his knees can be a little bit short and it's still ok. His size 6 shoes are all of the sudden tight and he'd rather just go bare-footed if we let him.  He can still wear his Blue Jays cap, but not for long since it is tight and leaves a red marked rim around his skull.  I guess it's time to buy him a Braves cap then, right?
     Speaking of the Braves, we're HOPING to get tickets to go see them play the Blue Jays on June 8th.  What better game to take Marcus to see his first MAJOR LEAGUE game than to see our beloved Braves play Daddy's Blue Jays?  We plan on putting him in a Braves Jersey with a Blue Jays cap.  If we do, we'll be sure to take lots of pictures.
     Here are a few other Marcus-isms:
1) When you say, "ready?" he'll say, "set...GO!"
2) He loves giving hugs and will ask if he can "tiss" you.  Unfortunately he loves "tissing" lots of people...not just his Mama and Daddy.
3) He's intrigued with the potty and will occasionally try, but still isn't THAT interested in it yet.
4) Driving home, on our main road, he knows where to spot two diggers and one bulldozer.  He'll kicke the back of my seat and yell, "HEYYYYY DIGGER!" and "HEY DOO-DOO-ZER!"
5) We've said this from the beginning, but he's just not a calm, quiet child.  He's aggressive, loud, energetic, and all out boy.  He loves getting dirty, screaming with delight, and tackling his Daddy to the floor.
6) He's tall enough to climb onto our bed by himself and if he ever tries, he could easily get out of his crib.  Luckily, he loves his bed and when it's time to sleep, he's OUT.
7) We recently found out that Marcus loves to pain and now asks for it daily.  "I pate!  I pate!"
8) When cleaning, Marcus is my little helper, wanting to sweep when I do, have his own cloth when I'm wiping counters, and can actually put toys and books away.  However, he still hates the vacuum cleaner and cries every time I use it.
9) Marcus is our little prayer warrior.  He reminds us to pray before every meal (sometimes multiple times a meal) and will repeat the names of those we pray for together at night.  If he ever has a nightmare, he'll say, "Pay Mama."  I will hold him and pray, then he'll go right back to bed as if he is just fine.
10) Finally, he's starting to like to talk on the phone.  He'll speak briefly to certain people, but the one person that he talks to FREELY is Mark's Dad.  He'll say, "Hey Papa!" (even though we call him Grandpa) and will even answer questions.  He even thought another man was Grandpa the other day and pointed with excitement and said, "Papa!!!"  He was so disappointed when I said it wasn't him.
    Alright, enough writing for this blog.  Enjoy the most recent pics of our wild little man. 

I learned how to dye dry pasta this week and let Marcus play with it.

I tried to show him how to sort it according to color but he wasn't interested in that at all.

He enjoyed the way it felt in his hands, though.

He had an absolute ball banging on the trash can.

It was loud, but he LOVED every clanging bang.

He even tried the bench, but it wasn't loud enough.

Mother's Day Weekend

     This past weekend was action-packed and wonderful.  Friday night, the 3 of us attended David Cobb's home school graduation.  It was UH-mazing!  He and one other young man graduated and there were tons of families there.  The food was spectacular and their home was gorgeous.  After the diplomas were passed out, we saw a slide show of the two young men on a LARGE screen put up between trees in the woods, then we all joined together to sing, "In Christ Alone."  After that, they passed out sparklers and the children had a ball.  While they were running around squealing with glee, everyone broke out in, "I'll Fly Away."  It was SO GREAT! 
     The next day, we had another graduation to go to and this time it was Molly Dorris.  She too is the second oldest child of her family, but I got to see her grow up a little more since I babysat her and her siblings more often.  Molly and one other young woman were given diplomas by their parents after their fathers made speeches on the front lawn.  After that, everyone enjoyed great home-made food, corn hole, a trampoline, and wonderful wisdom-filled fellowship.  It, too, was a wonderful event to attend. 
     Finally on Sunday, Mother's Day arrived.  And just when I thought Marcus hadn't gotten me anything, Mark came out of the bathroom announcing that Marcus had peed in the potty for the first time!  I know this might be too much information for some of you, but considering he's only 19 months old, I WAS ECSTATIC!  He seems to be training himself because I've put very little effort into potty training, however, I will now try a little bit and see how he does.
     We went to church to serve and worship, then came home for FAMILY NAPS!  Since there was no evening service, we went out to supper then did the regular Sunday evening pull-up run on 3 of Mark's stores.  Some may call it work, but since I was with my family, I call it quality time. :)

Our sweet Daddy works so hard, he can fall asleep anywhere, anytime.

Playing on the "pourch" before going to graduation.

He loves to swing himself.

I spread out a trash bag & taped it to the floor this morning for his first painting experience.

He seemed to really like it and did pretty well keeping it within the blue border.

He got just a smidge on his finger and wanted me to wash it off.

His final masterpiece.

And then he started painting his foot.

Getting Back to Normal & A New Schedule

     Well, it's been over a week, but both my sweet boys finally seem to be getting better.  Marcus made a much quicker recovery than Mark, even though Mark had antibiotics.  He said it wasn't the worst sore throat he's ever had, but it definitely lasted the longest amount of time.  Either way, we're finally sickness free and I'm SO THANKFUL that I was able to avoid it myself.
     On Saturday, a very nice neighborhood in town had a yard sale and we went to check it out.  Although the rain probably scared many families off, we found a few gems.  For a total of $10 we were able to get some matchbox cars, a big rig truck, a board book, a booster seat (I needed another one for the van ministry at church), 2 VERY NICE Melissa and Doug puzzles, an etch-a-sketch, and the big find (*drum roll please*) a POWER WHEELS 4 WHEELER!  No, it doesn't work, but for $1, I thought it was a steal of a deal.  Heck, Marcus doesn't even know it's SUPPOSED to move on it's own.  He just likes using his feet to make it go.  If we wanted to, though, there's a great battery store in town where we can go and replace the old one.  Either way, it was super fun to find these great deals and not spend a lot of money.
     In other news, Marcus and I have a new morning and afternoon routine.  Matthew is a 4 year old little boy who attends our church via the van ministry.  We've known him and his family for less than a year, but already have seen him grow and mature leaps and bounds.  Nonetheless, he still has a few educational and social roadblocks that concerned me.  After speaking with his grandma (his legal guardian) and Matthew's social worker, we finally got him into a great preschool which offers the type of therapy he needs (occupational, physical, and speech). The only problem was that he had no way to get there.  This family has no mode of transportation and the only time the children get out is when they ride the bus to school or the church van picks them up for church services.  Well, after much deliberation, I decided to take him myself.  I mean think about it.  I have it made right now.  Marcus and I make up our own schedule and it's extremely flexible.  So every day, Monday through Friday, Marcus and I pick Matthew up around 8am and take him to school.  The teachers are very nice and he's extremely comfortable there.  He hardly wants to leave when we pick him up around 4pm. 
     Just like with Marcus, I anticipated teaching Matthew many things on our short seven mile ride each day, but he's teaching me more.  He's preparing me for how it will be when we have two children in the back seat (if the Lord allows it to happen one day), and how good we have it in our situation.  Matthew is one of 4 children who live at this home, some of which are siblings, some are cousins.  It is a stretch to call it a home because it's dirty, stinky, and in an unsafe neighborhood.  His primary guardian is his elderly grandmother, but he's mostly being raised by his 15 year old sister.  Although she does a great job with what she has, obviously these children need a stable home with a mother and father. 
     On one hand, it breaks my heart to pull into his driveway each day, seeing how he has to live.  Yet, on the other, I am filled with warmth when he says, "Hey Marcus!" and happily gets into our car every morning.  He even gave Marcus a hug the other day as we were leaving his classroom.  Matthew is a precious child, created by the same God that made each of us.  He's learning about Jesus in church services and AWANA programs, but hopefully, one day he'll grow up and say he SAW Jesus being lived out by our family.  That is one of our many prayers for this sweet young man.

He enjoyed dipping his chicken into his ketchup WAY too much.

He thought it was hilarious!

"Would you like some chicken with your ketchup?"

Our little techno-man

Checking out his new ride.

"These puzzles are fun, too!"

He's such a big boy now, I can leave him in the basement to play while I work up stairs for a few minutes.