Happy 3rd Birthday Ian!!!

But didn't I just bring him home yesterday?

Man... my "baby" boy isn't much of a baby anymore... and he reminds me on a regular basis that he is a "big boy" now... but if I really beg him, he'll still admit that he is my baby...

We try so hard to make sure that Ian doesn't get jipped on his birthday. It's tough having a birthday the day after Christmas, ya know... This year was a little overwhelming for him, because there was so much fast traveling, and so many presents, and by the end of it all, I think we were all a little wiped out, and he was just... well... like I said, overwhelmed! By the end of his birthday present opening, he was tearing open packages two at a time and tossing things on the floor! It was kind of funny, but kind of sad, too. He was exhausted! We didn't even make it to Chuck-E-Cheese until close to 8pm, and we had to wake him up from a nap in the van when we got there. Ian was super pouty for the first half hour or so but then had some fun.

Last year, Ian had a Nemo and Squirt cake for his birthday, and he wanted more Nemo this year, so to make things a little different I made "Mr. Ray":

Ian also wanted orange ice cream... of which he ate about three bites, but he's not a real ice cream fan anyway! (Mommy will enjoy it in the days to come)...

We got some great b-day pics... even though I found it necessary to throw Ian out in the snow for about 10 minutes to get the outdoor ones taken care of (we almost never have outdoor b-day pics. of Ian for obvious reasons... the mail lady laughed at me, as she was delivering at the same time as I was freezing my toddler)!

Oh, how I love my little guy! Happy Birthday Ian!

Lisa

On Being Five...

Today we went to "Last Minute Madness II"... a shopping and laser tag trip with our youth group...

Since Caleb and Ian are both too young and too short to play laser tag, and I'm not all that good at it anyway (but with baby, I surely would have been super slow and continually getting shot), I decided to take my little guys to the mall while everyone else played...

I thought we were having fun, but not long into our trip, Caleb said, "Mommy... being 5 is no fun at all... I'm almost too little to do anything!" I hadn't realized until that point how badly he wanted to play laser tag...

So...

$60... trip to Build-A-Bear workshop...
$8... ice cream (and a raspberry lemonade julius for Mom)...
$5... ride on the second level of the mall carousel...

Having your five year old snuggle up close to you on an bench at the mall and say, "Mommy... I don't ever want to grow up"... priceless...

I only wish I had brought my camera to photo document our trip... Then again... It probably wouldn't have been the same if Caleb had stopped to pose every few minutes...

There are a couple of things about the mall that baffle me, though, such as...

What do Amish people do with the many bags of things they purchase at stores like Hollister and Aeropostale?

And do I really want to know why the very elderly man with a walker had a HUGE Victoria's Secret bag? Actually... that was kinda cute... I really wish I'd had the camera for that moment...

Lisa

PS... Our family had lunch at Cheddars, too... and I was wearing my sweats again... Yummy... but not so fashionable... L.

"The Princess And The Frog"...

... My take.

It's actually been kind of funny to watch and listen to the reviews rolling in about, "The Princess and the Frog". My hope was that I would read the review at www.pluggedinonline.com, find that it was unquestionably squeaky clean, and have a "girls night out" with Grace shortly thereafter. Not so on the plugged in review, so instead I got a date night with my husband, which is rare and always very welcome! We stuffed ourselves silly at Texas Road House and then headed to the theater to see if the alleged voo-doo and spiritual themes were really as bad as they sounded... And here's what we thought... (Spoilers throughout, so really don't read this if you don't want to know)...

First of all, I was a little concerned about the return to 2-D animation. I was afraid that it would make the quality of the film sub par to recent shows. However, this concern was very quickly dissipated (within the first minute of the movie), because the 2-D animation was, in fact, breathtaking! It was a return to classic Disney in which the fairy tale reigned supreme as entertainment. Visually, I was just as "wowed" as I was when I first saw Aladdin in the theater (17 years ago) with the new 3-D animation that blew me away...

I have to admit, I was also initially a little disappointed with the storyline. Here Disney takes their first animated African American leading lady ever and: #1 She'd not even a princess, #2 They set her in New Orleans, and #3 They turn her into a frog for the majority of the film. Somehow that didn't sit real well with me. Again, however, the story telling ended up being masterful... one of the best stories that Disney has produced in a long time... just amazing, really...

"The Shadowman" (main villain) was undoubtedly very evil. The use of voo-doo practices (including taking blood from the victim to create a spell and calling dead spirits) was quite authentic and frankly frightening (especially for young children). But it wasn't over the top, because the difference between good and evil was so stark. In fact, I was highly impressed by just how evil the Shadowman was, because it presented the opportunity to talk with children about the choices they make and how very important it is to avoid evil. I might make a comparison here to "Sleeping Beauty", in which Maleficent (classic Disney villain if ever there was one) invokes "all the powers of Hell" and is then defeated by the "Sword of Truth". Intense? Yes. Appropriate for small children? Absolutely not! A fantastic teaching tool for older children? You bet. In the end, the Shadowman meets his demise when the spirits pull him into the grave (pretty accurate when you mess with that kind of "magic"). But again, not for little kids...

There is also a good "witch doctor" of sorts, Mama Odie. In reality, she does little more magic than to look into a pot of Cajun gumbo and show Tiana and Naveen the importance of deciphering between their wants and their needs. She is about as "evil" as Grandmother Willow (Pocahontas) and looks a great deal like her, too. I was not disturbed by the role she played in the story.

Of great concern to some other reviewers has been the spiritual message that is conveyed by fervent wishing on a star. Uh... I kind of had to laugh about this. I mean, I did, indeed, pay careful attention to this theme, since other reviewers had found it so inappropriate, but my feeling on this particular point is that if you can't wish upon a star anymore, you really can't appreciate Disney magic. Further, directing the wishing (or even praying) heavenward seemed to make a meaningful parallel to the power that God holds. And I'm not saying that the star in the story was in any way worshipped as God. I'm just saying that it made for a reasonable comparison when discussing the importance of prayer with children.

Ironically (and let me take a step away from the review for just a minute), Grace asked me the other day if wishing on a star really works. And I told her that sometimes what we wish for comes true, and sometimes it doesn't. I told her that if she really felt strongly about something she desires that she should pray about it. And she told me that she does (which I knew) and even gave me the example of how hard she has been praying for a baby sister for years. I told her that when we pray, God will answer those prayers according to what He wants for us, and when we wish, some of those things come true, too, because that's what He wanted. And in the end, Grace let me know that she was going to keep praying... and that she was going to keep wishing on stars, too. And I told her that that's OK... I mean, what else could I say? I cry when the wishes music plays at Disney World, and I still believe in fairies...

But back to the review...

Overall, I felt that the lessons taught were phenomenal! Hard work is important... but it's not everything... What you want might not really be what you need... And personal sacrifice is worthwhile when it helps a friend...

When I take my children to see a movie, I want it to mean something. I am not interested in sitting them in front of an hour and a half of meaningless drivel that they do not understand to keep them quiet for a while. And I am certainly not interested in showing them something far beyond their understanding and losing the opportunity to view the film in a fresh, educational, inspiring way when they are old enough to take something from it. I also don't care to scare them half to death. For these reasons, "The Princess and the Frog" is a "big kid movie" at this house. I am pretty sure that Seth and Grace are ready to grasp the themes and discuss the meaning behind what I saw tonight. They may get to see the movie in the theater, or we may wait until it comes out on DVD. Caleb and Ian can wait. There's no sense "wasting" a good movie before it's time...

Lisa

Ian's 1st Haircut...

... Oh, my baby boy is getting big!

Well... now that Ian is almost 3, it seemed an appropriate time for a first haircut (particularly because strangers had started to comment on how cute "she" is)! It really just about broke my heart to cut those little curls off (which is why I put them in a ponytail first)... I am amazed at how much Ian looks like Seth with his new "big boy" haircut! Here's the pics:

Lisa

You Cannot Be Serious...

... I thought yesterday was bad?

I'm on a roll this week...

So, tonight was the last Legacy of Love performance. Dress rehearsal almost killed me, but the actual performance went quite well, although not highly attended. I had a wonderful time working with the kids, and they did such a good job, overall...

It is interesting to me, but tonight I realized something... Seth is a really good actor. It's not that I hadn't noticed, before, that he does a good job, but he's not an in your face, spotlight hogging kind of kid... like someone else I know... ahem... oldest daughter of mine... Grace is always in the spotlight... the center of attention... and she is very, very talented, so people are constantly remarking about how amazing she is. But tonight as I was watching Seth play his role, I thought to myself, "Gosh... he's really good at this (and forgive me for this next point)... even better than his sister is!" Don't worry, though, I won't tell Grace (and still, no one holds a candle to her musical ability)...

After the performance, we cleaned up (a lot) and then the plan was that I would run by the house so that Robert and Amber could pick up a few things for Avalyn's birthday party, and then I would grab some fast food for myself and the kids, since it was after 8pm and we hadn't had dinner.

I checked for what I needed in the garage first, and when I couldn't find it, Amber and I went into the house. As I was crossing the living room, Amber said in a kind of shaky voice, "What just went across your house?" And I thought, "Oh brother... another mouse," until she added, "It wasn't on the floor!" At which point I kind of flipped and asked (voice getting louder), "What are you, an idiot? Nothing flew across my house... Tell me that you did not just see something fly across my house!"

That is the moment at which a bat began flying toward us, and this 23 1/2 week pregnant woman took off running... assuming that my 21 1/2 week pregnant friend was behind me, which she wasn't! When I got to the back door, I turned around and started shouting for her to hurry up and get out, but I didn't see her for a moment... until a blanket from my living room came crawling toward me and I realized that Amber was under it!

We emerged on the back deck, slamming the door behind us, and although I felt like crying I figured there was no point, so I started laughing hysterically and ranting about the $1,000.00 bat exclusion we did this summer... And, oh yeah... we screamed for Robert to get inside and capture the bat...

I called Phil at this point, who was still working, and his reaction was about as good as mine. He promised to come home as soon as possible, and Amber and I proceeded to watch Robert pretend he was Batman (through the window, of course, while standing outside in the snow)...

Robert quickly discovered that there were, in fact, two bats, and I screamed to him that they'd better not be having sex, because I didn't need a whole bat family... and then I remembered how many church members live in my backyard and wondered if maybe that wasn't the best thing to be yelling about in the middle of the night...

There are so many great details to this story, but for the sake of time...

Phil got home and he and Robert managed to knock the bats unconscious with cardboard boxes and paper towel holders (gosh, I wish I had a video)... Then we used duct tape to keep them from escaping when they wake up (although I am pretty sure that one of them was dead). Phil checked the rest of the house and assures me that there are no more bats... and he'd better be right, because as I type this my children are sleeping and Phil is not home yet (still working), and if I have to evacuate with four children in their pajamas, it is not going to be pretty!

The bat guy is coming next week. And if he has to come back 1,000 times, he's gonna get this right, let me tell ya!

There's never a dull moment... That's for sure...

Lisa

It Could Only Happen To Me...

... I think!

Yesterday was an interesting day of sorts, from start to finish. I found myself alone with my "little guys" (Caleb and Ian) around 12:30, and after Caleb's music class we decided to make a trip to finish up some Christmas shopping and pick up groceries (for which we were long overdue because of our outrageous schedule as of late).

So we arrived at Wal-Mart around 3:30 and proceeded to spend the next three hours picking up the things we needed. Our cart was packed, and we were all rather tired and hungry when we stepped into line at the checkout lane...

After what seemed like an eternity (at the time), everything was scanned, and I swiped my credit card to take care of the "damage"... and the cash register beeped and spit out this little receipt that said my credit was denied... Since I was using a card that had no balance whatsoever until I purchased twenty bucks worth of gas earlier in the day, I figured this must be a mistake, and I ran it again... beep... silly little piece of paper denying my credit again... Now, this would ordinarily not be an issue, because I almost always carry several cards with me, and in the event that something is wrong with one of them, I just switch cards. I usually carry my bank card with me too, and most of the time there is enough money in my checking account to cover such a purchase. Unfortunately, the reimbursement checks that had been deposited earlier in the day hadn't yet cleared, and Phil had my other card, so neither of those two options existed...

Clearly frustrated... and embarrassed at this point... I told the cashier that I would have to call my credit card company... at which point everyone else in line kind of snickered and retreated to different checkout lanes... (I could just hear them thinking nasty things about the poor, fraudulent, pregnant lady with two little kids who couldn't afford her groceries)...

After working with two customer service representatives who couldn't speak English fluently (and let me just take a little rabbit trail here to say that I am not one of those people who hates immigrants or anything, and I don't feel like people should have to learn English to become citizens, either, but I do not understand why someone would be hired in communications if they cannot speak English), I was assured that they had thought that my card was stolen (apparently a $20.00 charge for gas was outside of my normal spending habits), and that I would need to provide my social security number, mother's maiden name, and rights to marry my firstborn child before they could unsuspend my credit card (with no balance and plenty of credit limit). I, of course, granted them this information and was assured that my card could be used immediately.

And so I hung up the phone and swiped my card, resulting in another (now irritating) little "beep" and a stupid little slip of paper, again denying my credit...

At this point, I am certain the cashier thought I was just talking into the air and making up a ridiculous story in an attempt to get out of the store with free merchandise. Of course, this is outrageous, because I am not so stupid as to think that Wal-Mart would ever let anyone out of one of their facilities without charging them an arm and a leg (which I might have offered at this point if I thought it would help)...

Tried the card again, just for kicks... "beep"...

And so now my only option was to suspend my order and try again in 5 minutes, hoping that the transaction would go through...

Pulled Ian (surrounded by Wal-Mart bags in the cart and now screaming), and Caleb (who had been taking a little ride on the spinning bagging area thing) to the back of the line and waited, only to find that 5 minutes later the freaking card still wouldn't work, and to top it off, they couldn't suspend the order a second time, so now I either had to leave the store without anything or come up with another plan. I decided it was worth holding up the line (which, of course, quickly dispersed for a second time) and called the credit card company again...

This time the customer service rep. did speak English, and I didn't let him off the phone until the order cleared... which it did... provided that I could offer some photo evidence of my identity... which you would think I could... if only I could find my driver's license... which, of course, I couldn't...

After searching through everything in my purse and wallet... twice... my license finally appeared, and I was released with my two wiggly children and my $400.00 worth of Wal-Mart crap...

As I neared the exit, I though to myself, "If the security alarm goes off, I am going to scream!" And wouldn't you know it, as I walked through the door I heard in a lovely, computerized, tone something to the effect of, "Please step back... we think you have stolen items in your cart"... (OK, so that's an exaggeration), but the alarm really did go off, and I really did have to go back inside. I did not, however, scream, as I thought I would...

Ian, who had stopped screaming, started again almost immediately...

I was asked if I had any electronics, DVDs, etc. and the answer was no. I didn't. Ya know, except for the dozen or so Wii systems I had stuffed in my shoes... (I didn't say that... wanted to, but didn't)... Usually they just let you go at this point, but oh, no... Instead this man took my receipt and started going through it, looking for what might have set off the alarm. It was at this point that a nice lady pointed out to me that our package of pull-ups was dragging underneath the cart (I had put them there after they were scanned at the checkout lane), and I thanked her and returned them to their original place. Then another customer comes up to me, gets in my face, and asks (in an accusatory, whiny sort of voice) if the pull-ups had gotten stuck under the cart before I went through the checkout. The evil Lisa wanted to take her by her throat and shake her, assuring her that it was worth my time and effort to steal a fifteen dollar package of nighttime diapers after paying for the rest of my merchandise... The nice Lisa said, "No, I put them down there after they were scanned." The she left...

Finally, the Wal-Mart greeter guy found the ten dollar Dora the Explorer watch (a birthday present) that was setting off the alarm. He deactivated it, and we were finally free to go out into the cold, dark night... (Caleb and I had not yet put on our new, really ugly coats that cost $7.00 apiece, but that is a lovely story for another time)...

As I exited the store, I thought, "Ya know... I will probably pop the trunk to put these bags in and find a dead body... It just would have topped it all off... All I found was a dozen basketballs from the church league practice...

The boys and I then made a valiant effort to eat at Texas Roadhouse, but decided that the wait was far too long for one crabby pregnant lady and two sleepy kids... We ended up at Chili's, where Ian ate virtually nothing and Caleb enjoyed pizza. I don't know why, but a couple of times a year I forget how sick I get every time I eat at Chili's and I give in to the temptation. I should have taken Caleb's suggestion and split a chicken basket with him at DQ...

We finally got home, put our things away, and went to bed...

Please, can't someone come up with a realistic way to do grocery shopping on-line...

Lisa

At This Moment...

... It's almost 7:30pm on a Thursday.

Seth and Grace are tucked in their rooms, both awaiting the opening theme song for Adventures in Odyssey before they fall asleep. Caleb and Ian have enjoyed a bedtime story and are also tucked away, headed to dreamland. Phil is out working to finish up his last week of class before Christmas break.

And here I sit...

I am eating a bowl of Extreme Moose Tracks ice cream and thinking about the 3 discussion boards, 1 assignment, midterm exam, and paper that I really need to complete in the next 4 1/2 hours. But mostly I am pondering about people...

And overall... tonight... I am sort of sick of people...

Now, to be fair, I have never been a real "people person"... certainly never a "people pleaser"... but tonight I just have that weary to the bones kind of tired that comes from dealing with people...

I feel a little bit lost... and I feel a little bit frustrated...

I think this mostly happens to me when: #1 I am overloaded (which I am right now) and #2 I feel the need to hit the "fake it button" in which I go into PR mode for the sake of survival (which I do right now). And let me tell ya... I can do a pretty good snow job and if people knew what I was really thinking... well... people do read this, you know, so I'd better not go on about it...

I will say this, however... If there is one thing that bothers me more than anything else about people it is the tendency to be selfish. I am sick of selfish. Selfish comes in many forms... and although it is easy for a lot of people to claim that they aren't selfish because they don't hoard possessions and they sometimes give gifts, that's not what I'm talking about. Shirking responsibility... breaking commitments... not following through... that's selfish.

And I might add that I am sometimes selfish, too. I am, after all, a person, although there are many others out there who don't treat me as if I am.

Tonight a song came to mind. There is probably only one other person in the world who will understand why it is relevant to this post. It has nothing to do with physical possessions, so please don't anybody panic that someone is threatening to throw our stuff out on the street... again... Those days seem to be long gone (and it's funny how you always want what you don't have)...

Lisa

You Did Not Have A Home lyrics

Rich Mullins
Oh, You did not have a home
There were places You visited frequently
You took off Your shoes and scratched Your feet
'Cause you knew that the whole world belongs to the meek
But You did not have a home
No, You did not have a home

And You did not take a wife
There were pretty maids all in a row
Who lined up to touch the hem of Your robe
But You had no place to take them, so
You did not take a wife
No, You did not take a wife

Birds have nests, foxes have dens
But the hope of the whole world rests
On the shoulders of a homeless man
You had the shoulders of a homeless man
No, You did not have a home

Well you had no stones to throw
You came without an ax to grind
You did not tow the party line
No wonder sight came to the blind
You had no stones to throw
You had no stones to throw

And You rode an ass' foal
They spread their coats and cut down palms
For You and Your donkey to walk upon
But the world won't find what it thinks it wants
On the back of an ass' foal
So I guess You had to get sold

'Cause the world can't stand what it can't own
And it can't own You
'Cause You did not have a home

Birds have nests, foxes have dens
But the hope of the whole world rests
On the shoulders of a homeless man
You had the shoulders of a homeless man
No, You did not have a

Birds have nests, foxes have dens
But the hope of the whole world rests
On the shoulders of a homeless man
You had the shoulders of a homeless man

And the world can't stand what it can't own
And it can't own You
'Cause You did not have a home