Stereotypes

Noah:  Can you tell me what these words on this toy mean?
Me:  It says "CHANG SHEN PLASTIC TOYS FACTORY"
Noah: I know that but what does it mean?
Me: Oh, it just means that it was made in China.
Noah: Sooooo... it means that it is going to break soon?

Mother~Son Love?

At some point early this morning Jonah snuck into my bed.  When I woke up he was snuggled up next to me sleeping away.  As I lay there watching him sleep he stirred and said, "Bye, I love you....byyyeeee, I looovee you!" 

When he opened his eyes and looked up at me he had such a sad little look on his face.  I said, "Sweetie were you having a bad dream?"  He shook his head no and said "It was a good dream.  I dreamed you were leaving and I was going to spend the whole day with Daddy."


My response?   GET OUT OF MY BED!

Merry Christmas

Givens Family Adventures

Winter ~ Noah turned six and to celebrate, we took a trip to the Savannah Roundhouse Railroad Museum and then rode back to Yemassee on the Amtrak. Both were a big hit and the boys still beg to ride the train again.

After years of prayer and preparation, Joe and I decided that it was time to try and expand Little Joe’s Trucking and began working toward that goal.

We got snow here this year! The four inches of fluffy white stuff meant that we were without power for two days. We spent lots of family time building snowmen, making snow angels, splitting fire wood, and camping out in the living room trying to stay warm.

For Micah’s first birthday we all took a trip to the circus and ate lots of chocolate cupcakes. On his first birthday, he still was not walking but was content to be carried everywhere by either Joe or myself.

By far the most important thing that happened this winter was that Noah gave his heart to Jesus. It was amazing watching him as God worked in his little heart.

Spring ~ Noah played soccer again, Joe started chicken farming, Noah broke his arm on the trampoline, we spent spring break camping in the backyard, and Joe and I celebrated seven years of marriage. Noah graduated kindergarten and was baptized in our church. Jonah had lots of tests trying to figure out some tummy issues and ended up getting pneumonia. Thankfully he healed well and the tummy issues are behind him. Micah was still content to crawl or hang out in Mommy or Daddy’s arms.

Summer ~ We enjoyed the zoo, two rounds of VBS, July 4th at the river, put-put golf, and go-kart rides. We finally gave in and bought a minivan. Long gone are the days of my Miata.

At sixteen months old, Micah finally started walking running, and has not slowed down yet.

Little Joe’s Trucking continued to grow and kept us plenty busy. Joe and Noah got a taste of the big city when I gave them the wrong directions and they ended up downtown DC in a loaded log truck. Oops!

Micah and Jonah got into the craft supplies and colored each other from head to toe with permanent markers. Luckily most of it was covered by clothing, and it wore off in about two weeks.

Jonah realized how much attention Noah gets when he talks and decided to give him a run for his money. Our chicken farming came to an abrupt halt when something killed all of our chickens. If you know me well, then you know that I was not really all that upset over the demise of the birds.

Autumn ~ Noah started first grade with me teaching him at home. It took some getting used to but most days we both enjoy school. He is doing great and has finished the first semester work already.

Jonah turned three and we all went to the mountains for his birthday. We took the kids panning for gold and spent a day at Santa Land in Cherokee, NC. We had not been since before Jonah was born, so it was a trip we all enjoyed.

The boys dressed as the Three Billy Goats Gruff for Halloween and Joe was the troll under the bridge. Veteran’s day was spent on the Waterfront in Savannah visiting the WWII memorial.

The boys painted pumpkins, drew pilgrims, and made paper turkeys galore for Thanksgiving.

So these are the adventures of the Givens family. Our adventures consist of raising boys, home schooling, potty training, and keeping a small business afloat. Not extreme by any means, but adventures all the same. We look forward to this next year and the adventures it will bring!

The Givens Family ~ Joe, Denise, Noah, Jonah, and Micah

After Three

Today Granny Faye was helping Jonah with his numbers...

Granny: One
Jonah: Two
Granny: Three
Jonah: Ummmmmm...
Granny: What comes after three?
Jonah: (In his best Joe impression) Boy, don't make me have to get up and come over there!

If laughter is the best medicine, then we have the cure for what ails you!

Boot Laces

How do you know you are the parent of three little boys?
Monday morning Joe got up to get ready for work.  This was long before the sun came up so I was still in bed.  After he had his shower and got dressed, he sat down to put his work boots on.  All of a sudden I hear, "Denise, what happened to my laces?"
I got out of bed to see what he was talking about.  I found him sitting there with a dumbfounded look on his face, staring at boots without any laces at all.  Now these are tall work boots for a size sixteen foot, that is a lot of boot lace to be missing!
I had a flashback to the kids playing over the weekend with their trucks.  They were pretending that they were stuck in the mud and had to go get other trucks to "pull" them out.  I wondered where they had gotten all of the "tow rope" from.
I felt the laughter coming and tried really hard to hold it back, but it was no use.  Joe was looking at me like I had grown another head and then looking back at his boots in utter confusion.  When I explained what I thought had happened, he started laughing as well.  As I went to get his spare boots I heard him muttering, "I can't believe they stole my laces!"
So if you go to put your work boots on in the morning only to find that you no longer have laces, you just might be the parent of three little boys.

Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer

Noah: ♪ ♫ You know Dasher and Dancer, ♪ ♫ and Prancer and Vixen, ♪ ♫ Comet and Cupid... ♪ ♫
Jonah: It's not nice to say that word!
Noah: What word?
Jonah: Stupid.
Noah: I did not say STUPID,  I said CUPID!
Jonah: It is still not nice.

Noah: ♪ ♫ You know Dasher and Dancer, ♪ ♫ and Prancer and Vixen, ♪ ♫ Comet and Cupid...♪ ♫
Jonah: It's not nice to say that word!
Noah: What word?
Jonah: Stupid.
Noah: I did not say STUPID, I said CUPID!
Jonah: It is still not nice.

Noah: ♪ ♫ You know Dasher and Dancer, ♪ ♫ and Prancer and Vixen, ♪ ♫ Comet and Cupid... ♪ ♫
Jonah: It's not nice to say that word!
Noah: What word?
Jonah: Stupid.
Noah: I did not say STUPID, I said CUPID!
Jonah: It is still not nice.

Unfortunately this is a scene that replays itself over and over in my house.  I think they get a kick out of it.  It is driving me crazy!

Where Do Babies Come From?

I recently learned that the kid's old babysitter "Aunt Dea" is going to have a baby.  This is part of the conversation that ensued when I tried to tell the boys...

Me:  Guess who is going to have a baby?
Noah and Jonah:  You?
Me: No, do you think I should have a baby?
Jonah: YESSSSS!!!!
Noah:  No 'mam I think you should have two.
Me:  Well it is not me, so who do you think it is?
Noah: Grammy!!!
Me:  Bahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!  Nope, try again.
Noah:  Well I know it can't be Uncle Tj and Aunt Holly.
Me:  Why are you so sure it is not them?
Noah: Because Momma, they live in Japan!
Me: What does that have to do with having a baby?
Noah:  I don't think they have hospitals over there.
Me: I think they do have hospitals.
Noah: No they don't.
Me: Yes they do have hospitals in Japan.  But even if they don't, that has nothing to do with having a baby.
Noah:  Well where else would they get one from?
Me:  Ummmmm...it isn't them anyway so try again.

Eventually they figured out that it was Aunt Dea.  I forget sometimes how innocent my children really are.  I am also thinking that maybe the ten centimeter story did not stick after all!

Dear Santa

The annual letter to Santa is a must around here.  Otherwise the kids will change their minds about what they want right up until Christmas eve.  This year Noah was able to write it on his own (with a little help in the spelling department) and was kind enough to include Jonah and Micah as well.  I know he forgot to dot his 'i' in bring and spelled go-kart wrong...but here it is.

Thankfully the pillow pets are hidden in my room and the go-kart belt is headed here by UPS but I have no idea how to make special icing cookies with icing carrots on the top.  Where does he come up with these things?

What A Man

I was sick yesterday.  Really sick.  At one point I could not find the strength to even crawl off of the bathroom floor.  I had Noah bring me the phone and I called Joe for help.  He came in early from work and took over for me.
He took one look at me retching my guts out, closed the bathroom door and did not come back in!  I guess gone are the days of him sitting beside me wanting to hold back my hair.  Anyway, I could hear through the baby monitor that Joe was dressing the boys and he took them outside to cut wood with him.  I think I passed out because when I came back around it was to the sounds of Joe trying to get supper (raisin toast) for the boys. 
I never knew raisin toast could be so hard to prepare.  There was whining from three hungry cold little boys and yelling from my hubby.  GET OFF THE TABLE!  GET OUT OF THE CABINETS! STOP WHINING AND GO SIT DOWN!  IT WILL BE READY WHEN I SAY IT IS READY!  THERE IS BUTTER ON YOUR TOAST, NOW SIT DOWN AND EAT IT! NOAH WHERE DOES YOUR MOM KEEP THE BAND AIDS? I'm not really sure how one cuts himself while preparing raisin toast, but Jonah came running into my room screeching that Daddy cut his fingers off.  I laid there and wept as I heard my family unraveling at the seams.
Pretty soon I could tell that they must have been fed and were feeling better as I could hear happy sounds through the monitor with old Dukes of Hazzard reruns in the background.  What I heard next brought tears afresh.  I heard my husband speak to each of the boys, apologize for his earlier behavior, and ask for their forgiveness.
Joe may not parent exactly the way that I do, but essentially he does what any good parent should.  He adapts to the circumstances life throws at him.  Sure he makes mistakes, but he recognizes and corrects them as soon as possible.
So he doesn't hold back my hair anymore, but he takes good care of our babies.  All in all I still think I got a great catch.  What a man!
For those of you keeping track (MOM) I realize that this is twice within the same week that I have been violently sick to my stomach, but to my knowledge baby number four is NOT on the way...................yet.

Two Front Teeth

Guess what someone is getting for Christmas?

Catching Flies

This post is not meant to be disrespectful in any way but rather honest and from my heart.  Those of you who know the family that I married into will completely understand where I am coming from.

Today is Thanksgiving with Joe's side of the family.  I am not excited about going.  I have never been a favorite of my Mother-in-law.  In fact I am pretty sure I am as far away from being a favorite as one can possibly get.  I learned quickly upon joining this family that I had to stand up for myself and fight back or I would get trampled and my marriage would suffer.  So I did what I had to do.  I fought meanness with meanness and spite with spite.  I showed her just how much vinegar I had in me and today my marriage is fine, but my relationship with my Mother-in-law is not.

The Lord has been dealing with me on this issue for quite a while now and I have been trying to ignore that pricking of my conscience.  The pricking is starting to bleed and I can no longer ignore it.  My children are beginning to suffer because of my poor relationship with their Mama and I am the one who needs to step up and change things.

So starting today, there will be no more vinegar from me.  I am sure tears will fall before the day is over and my feelings will be trampled on, but with God's help I can do this.

Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.  Proverbs 16:24

Please pray for me today and as the days continue.  Keep me accountable for the words that I say to and about my Mother-in-law.  I have never liked the taste of honey, but I have a feeling it is going to be on my lips quite often in the future. I don't think we will ever get to the relationship of Ruth and Naomi, but developing a love for the woman who gave me my husband is something I know I can accomplish.

Do You Know Jesus?

This week as we were pulling out of the drive I noticed that Dixie Jane was out in the front yard instead of the fenced in back yard.  I backed up to go put her in the fence and told the boys to sit still until I got back from putting Dixie in the back yard. 
I used the moment to talk with Noah about the responsibilities of having a pet and that we had to take good care of Dixie.  We were talking about the fact that she could possibly die if she were to get in the road and hit by a car.
Jonah piped up at that time at said, "We can't let that happen 'cause Dixie don't know Jesus!"

Veteran's Day

Noah did so well in school today and I was really proud of him.  I have to admit that some days it is a struggle to get him to concentrate, do his best, or to even pay any attention at all.  Today was not one of those days.  We are getting better at these new roles of teacher and student.
Today we were just finishing school when Joe called and said he had to go to Savannah, GA to have a drive shaft repaired for one of the trucks.  He wanted to know if we would ride with him.  Since school was done and we still had the better part of the day left, I agreed. 
While we waited for the part to be repaired we took the kids to River Street downtown Savannah.  They played on the waterfront and we visited a World War II memorial.  The kids found the plaque for the Marine Corps and I took their picture in front of it in honor of Uncle Tj. (Notice the fuzzy out of focus photo...that means my Mom did not go with us!)

I do realize that I am posting a picture of my middle child wearing pajamas during the middle of the day out in public directly after posting my disgust of seeing adults walking around Walmart in their own pajamas.  I am going to go ahead a defend myself now before someone calls me out on it!  First of all, the rules for toddlers are different than adults.  Second of all, my child's pajamas cover all of his body which is much more than I can say of the adult women wearing their pajamas in Walmart.  Finally, the only way we can keep Jonah's skin healthy is to keep it fully covered and footed pajamas seem to do that better than anything else we have found.
So that was how we spent our Veteran's Day.  What did you do with yours?

Confessions

I have a confession.  Sometimes I wait until all the kids are in bed and Joe is watching his logging shows and I sneak out of the house.
Where do I go you ask?  Grocery shopping...where else?  When you have the constant companionship of three little boys it is sometimes hard to remember what your name is much less what you actually went in the store for.
Tonight was one of those nights.  I had some things that I needed to get from Walmart and I needed to be able to get them without the peering eyes of my little ones.  I got a great idea from a friend to buy the marked down Halloween costumes and use them as dress up clothes for the kids.  Walmart had their costumes marked down to $1 each and so I got the kids all sorts of costumes: policemen, batman, magicians, dinosaurs, spider man, astronauts, and pirates.  They will find them in a big box under the tree at Christmas and I am sure will have a blast playing in them.  But I digress.
When I make my rare late night shopping trips I run into all sorts of people who for whatever reason are doing their shopping late at night as well.  I often wonder why they are out so late.  Is it because they have kids at home too, or maybe they work odd hours, or maybe they have a strange aversion to daylight. However, what I wonder about the most is why these people feel that just because they are shopping at bedtime they think that it is appropriate to wear their pajamas!  I am not talking about sweats and an old tee-shirt, I am talking about real pajamas that you wear only to bed.  I seriously saw people tonight dressed in pajamas complete with fuzzy slippers walking around Walmart.  I'm thinking that there must be some convention going on that I knew nothing about.  I mean really, pajamas...in public?

Slacker

Yep, I am referring to myself.  It is a full two weeks later and I am finally getting around to posting the pictures of Jonah's birthday bash.  Well it wasn't a bash exactly, just family over for some homemade chili and cornbread...one of our favorite suppers around here.

Jonah with his "cake".

 Don't you just love that dimple?

Papa and Pa were there.

 Mama showed up too.

Linny brought Pappy out just three days post surgery.  A big thank you to everyone for their prayers.  Dad is recovering from the surgery well.  Although the tumor was malignant, the surgeon feels confident that it was all contained within the kidney that was removed and Dad does not need any further treatments.  Now Linny has the task of making sure Pappy keeps his other kidney healthy!

Granny Faye sure did enjoy her chili and cornbread...but she said she paid for it the next day.  I know TMI, but if I have to hear about it I guess you should too. Granny is doing a little better after her pacemaker and recent hospital stays.  My children have no idea how blessed they are to be able to enjoy my grandmother.  I pray that we will all be able to enjoy her for many more years to come.

The kids had such fun opening gifts.  It was the first time that Jonah really got into it.  I think that Christmas is going to be a blast this year!  I can't wait to see their faces on Christmas morning.  Especially since I have now found the Puppy Dog Pillow Pets and they are safely stashed away!

 The cousins always have a great time playing together.  Mom did get them to all stand still for at least one picture.

 If you haven't noticed, my Mom is not in any of these pictures.  She is always behind the camera.  I'm not complaining...if she didn't take pictures they probably would not be taken.  Nine times out of ten any pictures you see on this blog were taken by her.  Thanks Mom for being my personal photographer.  Oh yeah, thanks for being a great Mom and Grammy as well!

Harvest Fun

Sunday was our annual Harvest Fun day with the church.  Since we had been at the ER with Noah the night before due to an asthma attack, we missed the traditional trick-or-treating.  Although with as much fun as the kids had on Sunday, I do not think they even realized that they missed anything.

Noah picked this year's theme, which was the Three Billy Goats Gruff.  He was Big Billy Goat Gruff, Jonah was Middle Billy Goat Gruff, and Micah was Little Billy Goat Gruff.  Joe was the troll that lived under the bridge.  I was just the coordinator!  The kids were not into the costumes at all but did at least keep them on long enough to place in the costume contest.

Micah enjoyed his time with Grammy dancing during the cake walk.

He soon decided that cake walking was tough work and needed a break.

Jonah fell in love with the giant shark slide.

He slid over...

 and over...

and over again!

 Noah wasn't quite so brave as to tackle the giant shark slide, but he did let me paint his hair orange.

 I manned the hair painting booth, but my troll kept scaring off potential participants.  I think that instead of a troll he sort of looks like a Santa gone bad.

 It was a full day of sliding, painting, candy gathering, bingo playing, candy apple eating, pumpkin picking harvest fun!  We ended the day with an awesome hayride through the swamp.  I have come to love this time of year.  I love everything from the colors to the smells to the weather to the decorations...and especially the hot apple cider and cocoa.

This is the scarecrow that the boys and I made for art class a couple weeks ago.  I found a cute poem about a scarecrow named Patches whose patches told the salvation story.  The kids memorized the poem, we stuffed a scarecrow, and painted leather patches (man, cross, dove, tree, candle, and heart) to sew on his overalls.  I'm not sure how well you can see the patches but I thought they did a great job.

Now see that person? That was you when sin ruled your heart.

But Jesus died upon the cross to give you a new start.

His Spirit fills your heart with love and joy for all to see.

He gives you faith and helps it grow, strong as the strongest tree.

The light of Jesus shines in you.  Tell everyone you know!

God's given you eternal life because He loves you so!

Testosterone

There was a lot of that in my house today!  Each of my boys had a friend over.  That means six boys in one house with one Momma!  Joe escaped early this morning and called home around lunch to see how I was faring.  He asked me if I had changed my mind yet (about wanting another child).  I told him that yes, that indeed I had changed it.  Now instead of wanting one more, I would like to have three more! 
It was such fun today in a way that can't be explained but only experienced.  Children certainly are a blessing and I can't even begin to imagine my life without them.

Surprise!

This has been the year of the birthday trip.  In January for Noah's birthday we went to Savannah to the Round House Railroad Museum and rode home on the Amtrak.  In February for Micah's birthday we took some friends to the circus.  Since we had not been to the mountains in a few years, we decided that a fall trip to NC would be perfect for Jonah's birthday.  If the look on his face in this picture is any indication, he thought it was a perfect trip as well.

We set out Sunday after church and drove to Maggie Valley, NC.  The leaves on the trees were beautiful.  We got to the hotel about 7:00 and I took the older boys for a swim in the pool.  We got up early Monday morning and found ourselves under a severe weather advisory.  (Oops, forgot to check to see what the weather would be like!)  Anyway, about 10:00 the weather cleared and we headed out to Cherokee.  We took the kids to pan for gemstones and Noah found a "diamond" for Grammy.  After panning for gemstones we had lunch at the Oconaluftee Park and then headed out to the main attraction of the day...SANTA LAND!!!  The kids all had a blast riding rides, feeding animals, paddling paddle boats, and watching bears. We closed down Santa Land and headed back to the hotel for another swim and night's sleep before heading out for home this morning.  It was a fun, fast paced, short trip...and I am already looking forward to the next one!

Out-Laws

My newly turned three year old rudely informed me tonight at the dinner table that I needed to shut my mouth so that he could speak.  After the shock wore off, Joe and I asked him where he had heard that before.  I refuse to mention any names but I can assure everyone that there will be no more unsupervised visits to my husband's parents' house anytime soon!  Ugh.

Happy 3rd Birthday

Happy Birthday to my Jonah!

Your smile lights up my world.

 Your mischievousness keeps me on my toes.

 Your excitement is contagious.

 Your determination is inspiring.

You were an amazing two year old and we have a big surprise in store to start out year number three!  More on that to come later...

Thankful Thursday

In no particular order...

kids, spouse, parents, friends, technology, health, electricity (when I remember to pay the bill), Bible class, cool weather, fall decorations, thick cinnamon raisin bread with fresh pear butter, laughter, tears, Grandmother, birthdays, chocolate, my minivan, good books, liquid stitch, and caffeine free diet coke.

If they were in order of importance, the caffeine free diet coke may or may not have been first on my list!

Get Well Soon

Noah and I made a trip into town today to go to the library.  While we were in town, we decided to run by my Dad's house and give him a painting Noah had made for him.  On the way there we had quite an interesting conversation.  I was telling Noah that Christmas was coming soon and that he needed to be thinking about who he wanted to give a gift to and what that gift might be so that he could start either making the item or saving money to purchase it.  He came back at me with a question...

Noah:  Do you think Pappy will be feeling better by Christmas?
Me:  I sure hope so.
Noah: Well if he isn't then I want to buy him a present.
Me: Does that mean that if he is feeling better that you wont buy him one?
Noah:  No, I will still buy him one, but it just wont be as good!

I'm afraid Noah provides little incentive to get well!  Then as we were on our way home I asked Noah to quiet down so that I could call our pastor.  He wanted me to let him know what time Dad was going to be having surgery.  As I dialed the number, Noah asked why the pastor wanted to know that information.  I told him that it was probably so that he would know when to pray for Pappy.  As I heard our pastor pick up the other end on the line, I hear Noah exclaim, "Well that is just silly, he should be praying for him all the time, not just when he is having surgery!"

Kids...they sure do make dealing with tough situations easier!

LOL

Jonah:  That scared me so bad I almost peed my pants!

Noah:  Jonah, you wear diapers.  You pee your pants every day.

Me:  Bahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!

To Dad

I know I ask a lot of questions...I am not going to stop, I do it because I care.
I don't expect to be involved in the decision making process and I may not agree with the decisions you make, but I will do my best to honor your wishes and not question your choices.
I can't walk this path for you, but I promise to be with you for every step that you let me be a part of.
Get used to me being there, because I am not going away.
You might see me cry, but you will also see me smile.
Remember that I love you, because I am not going to forget it.

Home School

Most of you realize by now that Joe and I have decided to home school Noah again this year.  It is going well, but takes so much more of my time than I had expected. I get asked all the time why I choose to home school.  We choose home school because of many different reasons, but basically it is just the right decision for us.
It may sound selfish but one reason that I home school is for myself.  I am one of those strange parents that actually likes her children and wants to spend time with them. (Not saying that parents who chose other schooling options do not like their kids)  I watch Noah grow so much during the school day and right now I can't imagine missing that.  I love seeing his excitement the first time he figures something out and I like learning along side him. I love the fact that we are teaching him what he needs academically while sharing with him the faith that is so important to us.
Of course I am not the only factor in this decision.  Another big reason that we decided on home school is Noah himself.  We feel that Noah's educational needs are met better with a one on one approach rather than in a large class.  We are able to focus more on the areas that he needs and watch every day to make sure that he improves.  Which by the way, he is doing very well.
Homeschooling simply fits us right now.  Because we are a self employed family, our schedule is a little different than most and we like the flexibility that homeschooling gives us.  The closest school that we would be comfortable sending Noah is a thirty minute drive from home.  That would mean two hours of travel time every day for us.
This may not be the path that we always take with our children's education, but it is working for us right now.  Noah is scoring well, I am still sane, and the little ones are starting to pick up on things from watching Noah in school.  Now if I could just manage to live on twenty minutes of sleep a night, things would be perfect!

Church

I think blogging is sort of like church...the longer you stay away, the harder it is to get back to it!  I have promised myself to get back soon.  (The blogging thing, not the church thing)  We will see how that works!

Tattletale

I am trying very hard to keep my boys from tattling on each other.  Sure I want to know if someone is in immediate danger, but some things they need to learn to handle on their own.  Noah is grasping the concept of not tattling very well.  Jonah on the other hand needs a little more work.  This was our recent conversation...

Jonah:  Momma, Noah is tattling on me.
Me:  What? Noah hasn't even said anything to me.  How is he tattling on you?
Jonah:  He told me that if I didn't stop hitting him that he was going to tell you.

...see what I mean?  I never could convince Jonah that in that instance, he was the one actually tattling.  Oh, what and exciting life I lead.

Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Mommy

Our kids are usually really good about bed time and going to sleep when they are told.  However, there are always exceptions to the rule!  Last night after we put the boys to bed, Joe went on to our bed and I stayed up working on lesson plans for next week.  (Home school post to come soon.) 
Anyway, I was sitting in the front room and could hear through the monitor in our bedroom (that was sitting on the nightstand beside the bed that Joe was sleeping in) Noah calling for Daddy.  He must have called for him for about five minutes.  I did not answer because he was calling for Joe and Joe was sleeping (or pretending to).  After calling for Daddy for about five minutes and getting no response, Noah then utters "Mommy" just one time.  Before Noah has even finished saying the word, Joe calls out to me "Denise, Noah wants you!"
Ugh!  Now tell me, do you believe even for a minute that Joe slept through all of the cries for Daddy, and only heard the one cry for Mommy?  I didn't think so either!

Wordless Wednesday

Of Parks, Pals, & Planes

Jonah and Austin

Micah and Ashton

Racism

I don't know where to begin.

First of all let me say that there is no way on earth to make this post politically correct, so I am not even going to attempt to try.  Let me also say that I do not consider myself or my family to be racist and I don't think that anyone else would either...well except for the two black men I met in the DMV office today.  And that is where my story begins.

I was stuck at the DMV for over two hours today with three kids (through lunch and nap time) waiting on their computer system to come back to life so that I could get the paperwork I needed for Little Joe's Trucking.  I am sure most of you remember that I took the kids to the zoo a few months ago and Jonah insisted that the monkeys were called grease monkeys.  I never even thought of anything bad associated with it and even now if he sees a picture of an ape he calls it a grease monkey.  Cute right?  Not so much today. 

Two rather large black men walked into the DMV office and Jonah looks at them, points and says LOUDLY "Look Momma, it's grease monkeys!"  Wow, how do you recover from that?  I tried to turn it into a teaching moment, but it went downhill even further and the two men were clearly insulted.

Me:  Jonah those are men sweetie.
Jonah:  But they are covered in grease.
Me: No they aren't sweetie.
Jonah: But why do they look like that?
Me: Well just like you have special polk-a-dots on your skin, God gave them special black skin.
Jonah: You mean God made them to be grease monkeys?

I gave up on talking him out of it and just started praying that he would stop saying it.  He found interest in something in the bottom of my bag and said "Momma, can I play with this?"  Figuring it would keep him occupied and hopefully mute I said sure go ahead without even looking at what he was holding. (I had two other children with me.)

Let me stop here and say also that I am not a big supporter of the Confederate flag.  If you like it, fine with me, but I personally feel that it has become more a symbol of hatred than what it was originally intended for.  I'm sure we all have different opinions on that but as for me and my house, out of respect for people who are offended by it; we do not fly, wear, or otherwise endorse the Confederate flag.  The only exception I have made to that rule is the General Lee.  The kids love the old Duke's of Hazzard shows and each have a General Lee replica.  Unfortunately, the General Lee is what Jonah had pulled out of the bottom of my bag and by the time I realized what was going on he was using it to try and "jump" the boots of the two black men that he insisted were grease monkeys, proudly showing off the confederate flag emblazoned across the top of the car.

I of course took the car from Jonah and put it away.  As I was trying to comfort Jonah from losing his car, Micah (the loving child) grabbed an empty water gun out of my bag.  Of all the people and objects in the room, he chooses those same two poor black men to stand in front of, point the gun at, and shout bow, bow,...bow, bow, bow!!

I truly could have died of embarrassment right then and there.  I know that my children did none of this with the intention of hurting anyone, but from the outside looking in, it sure did look like I was raising a house full of white supremacists.  I guess we will start working on manners and race relations soon!

Sexism

Can you see this?  This is Noah's recent masterpiece. It is a lego model of a house.  Inside the house is a kitchen complete with a stove and pans.  Outside the house is a monster truck.  Standing in the kitchen is the "boy" lego.  Driving the monster truck is the "girl" lego.  I thought it was hilarious.

 Man, I love that kid!

Grrrrr!

I'm sure most of you know how I feel about bone head comments when it comes to whether or not I will ever be having any more children.  For those of you who do not feel like "listening" to me rant, feel free to skip this post.

When anyone asks me if I Joe and I are going to have any more children, I try my best to answer as honestly as possible.  I am not a fortune teller, so I can't answer with 100% accuracy, but I do my best.  My standard answer is that I would love to have another child but we are waiting until Micah gets a little older before deciding if we are going to take that step.  Sometimes people accept that answer and move on, but others look at me in horror and say, "You mean you want another one?"

That question does not bother me in the least.  I realize that the decisions that we have made for our family are not right for everyone. For that question, I have a standard answer as well.  I believe that if you don't know that you are done, then you can't say that you are done...and I don't know that we are done. 

Last night I came across someone who asked me both questions, and I gave both answers.  To which said person replied, "Huh, if you had them babies naturally you would know that you were done!"

Grrrr!!!!!  Does that rub anyone else the wrong way, or is it just me?

A Chicken Story...The End

So six months ago we entered the world of chicken farming (much to my dismay) with five chickens.  Soon the boys were gathering eggs every day and I was getting used to the squawking going on in my back yard.  The birds turned out to be an adventure for us all.  Jonah learned when NOT to put his hand in the nest, and I learned that snakes like to eat eggs.
We did not have any luck hatching out eggs, so our neighbor gave us her biddies to raise.  That turned into a disaster...so we decided that we would just keep gathering our eggs for our own consumption and be satisfied with the five little chickens we had.
Today when Joe went out to take care of the chickens, he found that something had killed all five of them.  He thinks it was another snake.  I think I am ready to move.

I Hate To Alarm You, But...

There are some conversation starters that really make you want to run for the hills.  My husband is the master at them.  He usually says things like "Well, do you want the good news first or the bad news first?"
With words like that I'll take no news!
Today was even worse than usual.  Joe got home a few minutes before I came in with the boys.  As I struggled into the house (out of the pouring rain) carrying two children and a bag, he greeted me by saying, "I hate to alarm you...but I need you to look in the red bag outside the back door."   I glanced out the door and saw my onion bag sitting on the back steps.  Before I could ask why my onion bag was outside, it moved!
Joe's next words were, "Now don't get upset."

WHAT DO YOU MEAN, DON'T GET UPSET????

I'm telling you, he really is not good at breaking bad news.  Turns out there was a three foot long SNAKE in the bag.  Unfortunately that was not the part that Joe hated to alarm me about.  The alarming part was that he had caught the snake IN MY BATHROOM!!!  Seriously? 

Now that I think about it, I guess there is not really a good way to break the news to your wife that you just caught a snake in her bathroom....

Use Your Words

I love to hear my kids talk.  It is a good thing too, because they can talk, and talk, and talk, and talk!
Since they were very little we have always encouraged them to use their words to express what they wanted rather than pointing, grunting, or screaming.  You will often hear me telling my kids to use their words or do without whatever it is that they want.
Micah is just learning to talk and it is so cute to hear him say uce peas (juice please) and hay hue (thank you).  Noah mastered using his words ages ago and never stops talking.  Seriously, the boy wakes up talking and keeps at it until he hits the bed at night...sometimes even then he talks in his sleep.
Jonah is between the two.  He is just now realizing how much attention talking brings him and can be heard saying, "Hush Noah, it is my turn to talk!"
Just last week, I had to applaud Jonah for using his words quite nicely (after I stopped laughing).  Noah was doing what brothers do (annoying Jonah in the backseat)  when Jonah spoke up and said, "Noah, stop playing with me, I not a toy, I a Jonah."
Now that is what I call using your words!

Put Put

A few weeks ago in the midst of our car hunt, we found ourselves in Savannah on a Saturday evening.  We all of a sudden realized that we had been spending so much time taking care of business that we had not taken the time to take care of the business of our family.
It was apparent from the snapping at each other and the whining going on that it was time to take a step back and re-evaluate our priorities.  We just so happened to drive past a fun park that had a sign up advertising an early bird special.  I pulled in to the parking lot and we spent $20 for the entire family to have several hours of more fun than we have had in quite some time.
We started off on the go-cart track.  The two younger boys were too little to ride, but that did not stop Noah and I from having a blast!  From there we went to the playground equipment, the indoor arcade, and put-put golf.

This was the first time that our kids had ever played put-put and I think it was the first time for Joe and I since my college days.

Believe it or not, Jonah beat all of us at put-put!  Micah was by far the worst as he kept throwing his ball, but Joe was not far behind him!

We all left with smiles on our faces and memories of good times in our hearts.  I am so thankful for my boys and for a husband who realizes the importance of family togetherness.

Minivan Momma

This is what I now drive...not this one exactly...but one nearly like it.  Except a different color, and a different year model, and mine does not have tinted windows.

I would post a picture of the real thing except that I don't have the energy to go outside just for a stinkin picture.  My doctor says that I have Mono...I think that someone has tied invisible weights to every appendage I have.  As if carrying my weight plus sixty pounds of children around was not enough.

Back to the minivan.  I balked at the idea of a minivan for a LONG time.  I was convinced that I wanted another Expedition exactly like the one that I already had, just with about 300,000 less miles on it.  Alas, it was not to be.  The kids and Joe (yes I said Joe) fell in love with this minivan.  I have to admit, after driving it for a week, I am falling in love as well.  It is so much easier to get everyone all buckled in and we actually have a lot more room to move around.  The best part...it still has enough seating left for two more kids!

...After the mono passes...and I convince Joe....

My Baby...

...is not such a baby anymore!  When did this happen?  Where did this toddler come from?

***Please excuse the lack of sound, I think I had the video on mute.

Car Rant

We are in the market for another vehicle.  I am so frustrated with the process that I could just scream...actually I think I have a couple of times already.  We have been looking for far longer than I ever imagined and right now I think I would rather walk everywhere the rest of my life than to go into another dealership!  Here are just a FEW of my issues.

• Why can't a salesman simply tell you how much a vehicle costs?  Joe and I saved up a certain amount of money to purchase a vehicle with and we know that we do not want to go over that amount.  If a salesman knows my price limit from the time I walk in the door, why on earth would they show me a vehicle that is worth twice what I am willing to spend?  If I ask how much a vehicle costs, I do not want to hear "Just take her for a drive and see how you like it...we will work something out."  If I hear that one more time I just may punch someone in the face.  It may not be very Christian of me, but that is where I am right now!
• Why do salesmen look straight past me but greet my husband with a handshake and a smile?  Especially when I am the one carrying the purse with the checkbook.
• Since when did salesmen turn into bankers and car lots turn into credit agencies?  I can't even tell you the number of times we have heard a salesman ask us to use the money that we have saved as a down payment and just finance the rest of the ridiculously overpriced vehicle.  When we refuse, they are quick to assure us that they finance everyone, and it does not matter even if we have horrible credit, that they will find a way to get us in that vehicle.  HELLO!!! We have fine credit, and we have it because we have avoided financing things that we know we can not pay for!
• What is up with all of the car lots with signs that read "Buy here, Pay here"?  I just don't get it.  If I am going to purchase something then I think it would only be appropriate if I paid for the item at the same location.
• Why do salesmen feel the need to lie?  I am no good at telling when someone is shooting me a line, but even I can tell that some of these salesmen are lying though their teeth.  Especially when they contradict themselves in the same sentence.
• What makes a vehicle that has had only one owner any better than a vehicle that has had two?  Why is it that all used vehicles have been recently traded in by a little old lady who only drove it back and forth to church?
• And last but not least, why is it that men love to go shopping for vehicles?  I am pulling my hair out and Joe is having the time of his life. 

So there you have it, my car rant.  Believe it or not, I actually feel a little better.  I may not need to punch that salesman in the face after all.

Sorry I'm Late

I can't seem to get anywhere on time anymore!  I start out on time or even early and then something happens (usually involving a bodily function of some kind) to throw a kink in my plans.  Take yesterday for instance.  I got everyone up and ready to go to the sitter's house so that I could go to work.  We were actually very early, so I told the kids they could play while I loaded the car with the eighteen thousand things that it takes in order for us to leave the house.
When I came back into the house I heard Noah sobbing in the bathroom.  I walked in to find him sitting on the bathroom floor, crying into a toilet bowl of what can only be described as "oatmeal consistency" poop, and using MY HAIR COMB to fish around in it to try and get out his favorite hot wheels car.
He was hysterical and begging me to please help him get his car out.  My first instinct was to throw out the comb, flush the hot wheel, and sanitize Noah's hands. Then I remembered the time my Aunt Jeanine flushed her phone and it took three days for the plumber to get it out.  So I called Joe (who was back at the shop) and told him that Noah had dropped a hot wheel into a toilet of poop and asked if it would be okay to just flush it away.
Those of you who know my husband know his obsession with toys and it will be no surprise to you that his first question was, "Which car is it?"  Clearly the man has issues.  Upon talking with Noah they determined that this was a toy that could not be sacrificed, so Joe came back up to the house armed with some crazy contraption and fished the hot wheel out of the poopy water.
Noah and Joe were elated, the hot wheel was sanitized, my comb was thrown out, and we walked out of the door five minutes late.  So the next time I arrive somewhere a few minutes late...please keep this in mind and make sure that you really want to know what the hold-up was before you ask!

Journey

I have been thinking a lot lately about my Christian walk.  Specifically where it is at now compared to where it was in the past and where I want it to be in the future.  I think that life is a series of twists and turns, mountains, and valleys.  My Christian walk has been the same way, a mixture of good and not so good with little surprises thrown in along the way.
I recently started a new blog called Journey to chronicle my own path.  It is a blog for my revelations about life, God, and myself. 
If you attend Women's Devotions with me at church or are in my Sunday school class, the themes may seem familiar.  Hopefully in the future I will be able to get myself in gear so that I can post to the blog before we have our devotions, and you will be able to prepare for the discussion ahead of time.

Four Months

"I'll see you in four months."

Words so sweet they nearly made me cry.  Jonah saw his allergist today and really impressed him with how well he was doing.  So much so in fact that the doctor said that other than having Jonah's normal blood work done, he was good to go for FOUR WHOLE MONTHS!!  That is like Thanksgiving time or something, every time I think about it I smile...four months!

Jonah has an appointment with the gastrointerologist in a couple of weeks and I am thinking that they are going to completely release him.  We are not having near the issues with diarrhea that we were having back a few months ago.

After the gastrointerologist, then we just have to see the dermatologist.  I don't see us getting an all clear there anytime soon, but at least he is maintaining well and has not had too many flares in the past few weeks.

Thank you God for your miracles.  Hearing four months today was a special gift!

Arts And Crafts

Wal-Mart had a great sale on permanent markers this week...

...Wonder when soap goes on sale?

Blessed

I have come to the realization lately that I am incredibly blessed.  I have not recently become blessed, but my outlook has changed so that I have just now realized how blessed I am.  It is the type of realization that almost makes one feel guilty.  Guilty for either not realizing the blessing before now or maybe for being so blessed when others are not.

The blessing that I am specifically talking about is the blessing of great parents.  I am at the point in my life where my peers are beginning to face loosing their parents.  I watched last week as a friend buried her mother.  There is a depth to that pain that I can not even fathom.  I truly feel blessed to still have my parents and even a grandparent that are just a phone call away.

I have also been reminded through a different friend just how great my parents really are.  My parents have loved and supported me in every decision I have made, no matter how much they may have disagreed with them.  They gave me the foundation that I needed to succeed and then let me decide how I wanted to proceed.  Even to this day they support the decisions that Joe and I have made about how to raise our family, even though I know that most of the time they would do it differently.  They love my children with a fierce devotion and do not miss an opportunity to show their love to them.  In turn, my children think that their grandparents are the best thing since sliced bread.

I have often wondered how I would handle it if my children did not follow the path that I thought was best for them.  I was discussing this with a very wise friend recently and she gave me some great advice.  She said to think about the worst thing that I could possibly imagine any of my children doing and decide right now that I forgive them and love them anyway.  While I don't think I have done most of the worst things my parents could imagine, I think that at some point they must have decided to just love me anyway.

For that fact alone, I am eternally grateful and incredibly blessed.

$47 Peace Of Mind

Micah has been trying to cut his one year molars for months now.  I thought I caught sight of one peeking through one day, but it disappeared the very next day.  Then he developed these nasty looking bruises on his gums that would not go away and they started swelling.
When we went to the Pediatrician for Micah's 15 month check-up, he noticed the swelling and bruising and suggested that we take him to see a dentist.  I had been concerned about his gums for some time, but after the pediatrician was concerned as well, I really got nervous!
The appointment was today, and I was terrified that they were going to have to cut his gums in order for his teeth to come through or that there was something wrong with his teeth.  Turns out he has Eruption Hematomas where his teeth should be coming in. It sounds much more serious than it really is!  They are perfectly normal and usually go away on their own.  Because of Micah's fair skin, his look a little worse than usual.  There is no need for any type of intervention at this point.  The dentist said that he thinks the teeth are just about to come through.  He wants to see him again if they have not broken the surface in six months.  We are praying that they come on in on their own before that time.
So today I basically paid a Doctor to tell me not to worry...and let me tell you, it was worth every penny!

On The Road Again...

So today I went to Savannah, from Savannah to Hilton Head, from Hilton Head to Islandton, From Islandton to Walterboro, from Walterboro to Islandton, from Islandton to Jacksonboro, and then back to Islandton again.

I am not a truck driver in our little trucking business, but today I felt like I might as well be!  Speaking of our little business, that is the reason I am on the road so much these days.  Our little company is still not big by any means, but has tripled in size in just the past four months.  When you are a consistent size for ten years and then triple in four short months, things get hectic fast.

I am in no way complaining about the changes, but they certainly have made my life a bit busier.  Hopefully now that the initial rush is over, things will calm down a bit.  We have handled the rush rather well, other than my house is a wreck (that is really just an excuse...it is usually a wreck anyway)!

I even had one of the best compliments of my life today.  As I was sitting in the DMV waiting on paperwork, one of the employees said, "Does your husband appreciate what a patient wife he has?  Most people would be stomping around cussing and you have handled all of these delays with grace."

I wanted to tell her just how far I had come, but Vi-o-let was sitting at the next counter and I was afraid that I would be recognized!

We have definitely come a long way with Little Joe's trucking and although it seems that we have grown tremendously overnight, it has been after years of consideration and prayer and waiting for the right time.  It seems that when that time came, doors started opening right and left as we just sat back and watched.  Sure there is risk involved, as there is with anything worthwhile.  But like I told my MIL...even if we fail and loose everything we have invested, it won't be the end.  Sure it would hurt to see our hard work disappear, but we started with nothing and were immensely happy then... and if we end up with nothing next week we will still be immensely happy.  For we have set our sights on things above, not on things of this earth. (Colossians3:2)

Jonah

My Jonah is growing up so fast and becoming such a sweet little boy!  Last night Joe and I had to run into town with the boys to take care of some trucking business and we were nearing bed time on the way home.  Joe made a sudden turn and Jonah's car seat (that accidentally had been put in the car without attaching the seat belt to it) flipped upside down and caused him to bang his head on the door. 
We pulled over and got everything buckled correctly, but Jonah was upset, scared, and tired...not a good combination.  Since we were close to  home, I decided to just hold him in my lap the rest of the way there.  I know it was bad parenting; we broke the law and I endangered my child's life, but I have to say that was one of the sweetest times I have ever had with Jonah.  We cuddled close and sang ♫Jesus loves me♫ over and over.  Then we had the best conversation ever...

Momma, Jesus loves me!
Yes Jonah, He sure does.
Jesus helps me.
Yep.
Jesus makes me feel better.
Yes He does.
Jesus and lotion makes mine skin feel better.
You are right Jonah.
Jesus is gonna make mine tummy better and Him gonna make mine skin not itch.
I'm glad.
Yep, Jesus loves me and I love Him to the moon and back!  I love you too Momma!
And I love you!

I wish I had that childlike faith.  I know God can, I just don't know that He will.  To be honest, I have been afraid to believe and get my hopes up.
Jonah had been doing so well lately, but had another allergic reaction last week.  I still do not know if he got into something that he was not supposed to have or if he is developing other allergies that we are going to have to watch out for.  This reaction happened back on the 6th and as of this morning, he is still having side effects from it. He has to have more blood drawn before the end of the month, but I have been putting it off.  I think I hate doing it more than he does...
And back to his faith, I want to believe that someday soon Jonah will be free of all of these problems, but I know that may not be the path that he is to walk.  I am not being sceptical, but rather realistic.  God does not always answer our prayers in the way that we see fit.  How do I prepare my child for that without crushing that precious "childlike" faith?  As you can see, I am in over my head and any advice would be greatly appreciated.  I just want to do what is best for Jonah without dragging my fears into the mix!

Family Friendly?

Joe and I took the kids to the park this afternoon for some free time.  When we got to the park, the older boys took off for the playground equipment while Joe and I headed for a bench swing with Micah.  As soon as I sat down I smelled a rather peculiar odor, but said nothing about it.  Joe sat down next to us, looked down at his feet and said, "Tell me that is not what I think it is." 

I looked down and sure enough the ground all around our feet was covered with dried green herbs that definitely were not oregano or parsley.  Obviously someone had spilled their baggie full of marijuana on the ground and was either in a hurry to escape or was too stoned to realize what had happened.
Joe started kicking at the ground (to try and cover it up with sand) which only intensified the smell and got it all in his work boots and my shoes. Noah of course chose that moment to walk over and ask what we were doing.

I am furious that I even had to come up with an answer to that question.  I mean, we were in the park for crying out loud...a children's park with playgrounds.  What has happened to our society that someone would think it was acceptable to go to a public children's park to smoke their weed?
Or maybe it was someone selling there and dropped their stash.  That makes me even angrier.  What chance do our children have if they are finding drugs on the playground at six years old?

Is there nowhere left that is family friendly?  Do I have to keep my children in the house all the time in order to keep them from being subjected to drugs, alcohol, foul language, and sexual perversion?  I know that at some point in thier lives they will  have to face all of those things, but at six years old they should only be worried about which swing to swing on, not what the green stuff is all over Daddy's shoes.

Walking

Sixteen months of wondering when it was going to happen...

Now we begin wondering when he will slow down!!

Guess this means I have to get him some shoes now?