TTT - The Ten Commandments

Last Friday evening, we were sitting around the supper table with our visiting friends Steve and Claire and their two children James and Brielle. Jeff, as is his custom, read a short devotional before we prayed and began to eat; and the topic on that night was the Ten Commandments. After we started eating, I asked the boys if they could name one of the Ten Commandments. I knew Josiah would be able to come up with something; but it was David who spoke up first with this reply, "Ummm...brush your teeth?" :) Well, no, not exactly, my dear boy; but I am glad that you realize the importance of good dental hygiene!

My amusement continued when Josiah said, "That could go under 'Honor your father and mother'!" True, true. It certainly could. :)

My parents were eating with us, of course; and as soon as Dad heard the conversation, he said, "Sounds like a TTT to me!" I laughed and reached for a pencil and paper to write it all down. These bits of conversation are too precious to let slip away.

Check out Mary at Not Before 7 for more Tiny Talk Tuesday.

Some Small Gain

There's no great loss without some small gain.

I can hear the voices of my "elders"--those who have gone before me, especially the women in my family--saying these words, using them in a myriad of situations, bringing comfort and perspective in the face of tragedies big and small. I was reminded of these words today when we had our own--albeit minor--tragedy here.

Someone (something?) stole our grapes.

We have a wonderful old grapevine that faithfully produces luscious Concord grapes every year, and we had been keeping an eye on it in recent days as the grapes ripened. Fortunately, they weren't ripe during the time when we got our five bushels of peaches from a local orchard; one canning project at a time is plenty! But now the peaches have all been dealt with, and it was time to turn our attention to the grapes.

When my mother walked by the vine yesterday and checked them, she noticed that quite a few were gone from the eastern end of the vine; but lots more remained on the western side. Today, however, when she had gotten the old enamel bucket out of the cellar and a pair of clippers to cut the clusters off the vine, she walked to the grapevine and returned with this. Only this.

Out of all the gorgeous clusters that had been on the vine only a day or so ago, this was all that remained--hardly enough to cover the bottom of the bucket.

It was shocking, mysterious, and disappointing enough to make Josiah cry this morning when Mother came in and reported the news. He was finally consoled when she took him down to the cellar so he could see for himself that we still have lots of grape juice left from other years--27 quarts is what they counted. But we're left puzzled by the strange disappearance of our grapes. We don't know whether the culprit was of the winged or two-footed or four-footed variety. We've never had this problem before so there's nothing to go on in our investigation. Would squirrels or raccoons or possums climb up and consume the grapes so quickly? If it was birds, it must have been a whole flock of them to pull off such speedy destruction. And if it was a person--well, I just hate to think that it could have been that. Who would do that? When? And why?

So as we ponder our "great loss," we do give thanks for a "small gain": since the grapes are gone, we don't have to spend hours tediously pulling grapes off stems, washing them, and squeezing the juice out, then standing over a hot canner to preserve it. The project that my mother thought would occupy her week suddenly got erased from the to-do list. I wonder what she'll do with all her leisure time! :)

Simple Sunday - Good Food

~ thankful for good food to eat...this weekend, we enjoyed a visit from our friends Steve and Claire from Hampton Roads; and at one point, I was telling Claire how glad I am that I'm not a cow (that has to eat the same old grass and grain all the time) or a car (that only gets filled up with one thing: gasoline)...instead, we have such a variety of foods to eat...the numerous ways that we can combine ingredients to produce different tastes is a delight to me; and even if I cooked a different food every day for a year (or two or three or ten), I still wouldn't exhaust all the possibilities...one food that I enjoyed making--and eating!--this weekend is this delicious sweet potato casserole, a recipe that I got from the first cook I ever loved: my mother :)

Sweet Potato Casserole

Note: The amounts given first are for a 9 x 13 dish, and the amounts in parentheses are for a 10 x 15 dish. I always make the larger amount because, for something this good, more is better! :)

2 (3) cans sweet potatoes (cans are 1 lb, 13 oz size)

1/4 (1/2) c. butter

1/2 (3/4) c. brown sugar

2 (3) eggs

1 (2) tsp. vanilla

Beat all ingredients until fluffy. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 (or 10 x 15) dish.

Topping:

1/2 (3/4) c. brown sugar

1/2 (3/4) c. flour

1/4 (1/2) c. butter

1 (1 & 1/2) c. nuts (I used pecans)

Mix topping ingredients until crumbly. Crumble over potatoes, and bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until done.

On My Must-Read List...

...is the book 10 Days to a Less Distracted Child by Jeffrey Bernstein. I've got it here beside me as I type, and I'm actually looking forward to Shav waking in the night to nurse so that I can start reading it then. :) If the book is all it's promoted to be, by September 21, I should have this dearly beloved, but often distracted, child of mine all figured out, right? :)

He can be such a charmer; but what a puzzle for me to figure out how to inspire and motivate him, how to lead and guide him, how to shepherd his little heart! As often as I scratch my head and think, "How in the world am I supposed to effectively parent him?" I also find myself throwing my head back and laughing at his latest comment or action. Today, for example, David came upstairs from the library where he was having quiet time because he just HAD to show me what he was up to. Apparently, he's gotten the idea that not only does a policeman carry a walkie-talkie on his belt (or on the elastic waist of his sweatpants, if he doesn't happen to be wearing a belt)...

...he also carries a gun stuck down inside his waistband. David's "guns," in this case, are plastic support pieces for a racetrack for toy cars...
...but in his mind, they were guns, and he was THRILLED that he had FIVE of them. He kept counting them and telling me how many there were, and all I could do was smile at the sight of his baggy little pants stretched out to hold all this plastic. Far from being an imposing police officer, he was a slightly ridiculous sight; but he didn't know that, so he simply radiated joy as he basked in the thought of all those weapons! What a boy!

When Did They Get So Big?

(Today's date is 9/9/09, and I didn't even think about how cool that is until I wrote a check tonight and realized the pattern. Wouldn't it be neat to be born on this day? :) But on to serious stuff...)

Every so often, a moment will come along that stands out to me with suddenness and clarity, reminding me that these sons of mine, who all started as tiny beings within me (too small to be seen with the naked eye), are growing up and have, all at once, become HUGE! :)

I've had these moments in regard to each of the boys recently; and for fun, I decided to record them so that I can someday look back, when my boys are grown men, and remember some of my thoughts at various stages of their growing years. Here are my recent "aha! he's getting big!" moments...

Josiah: I was folding the laundry when I held up one of his shirts and thought how big it looked...could such a big shirt possibly fit him?...well, yes, it could--and does...he's not wearing little boy shirts anymore because he's not a little boy!

David: seeing him in a pair of pajamas that Josiah wore as recently as last winter...when I had moved those pajamas into David's dresser, I had thought that they would be huge on him this year...but actually, much to my surprise, they fit just fine!

Tobin: realizing that much of the time, he is in a vertical position...I don't know if that makes sense, but I'll try to explain...I remember some months ago, I tried to picture what he would look like when he was standing and walking; but it's always a hard jump for me to imagine this little body that mostly lays or sits suddenly able to be upright and sustain himself in a vertical position...but now, Tobin does it without noticeable effort...and though he may not be fluidly walking yet, he certainly does spend quite a bit of time standing and cruising...I know it changes his perspective tremendously to be able to do that, and it also changes my perspective of him--from the horizontal Tobin to the vertical one

Shav: looking at him in his cradle and noticing how long he is...it's true that he's lengthened since birth; but I guess my perception of him is also changing because he's spending more time stretched out, rather than curled in the typical newborn ball so he looks even longer than his actual growth would account for...in any case, he seems to take up so much room in his cradle these days!

And now, pictures from one of the most exciting, yet heart-wrenching, when-did-they-get-so-big days: the first day of school!

Yesterday was the first one for us, and here is Josiah, our second-grade scholar...

...who is often serious, but can also be a bit of a goofball. :)
David "officially" started preschool yesterday and has been so excited about this. It's a BIG DEAL to him so even though I was planning to not put much emphasis on organized school for him this year, I've revised my thinking since he is so very eager to do school.

Gotta have a picture of all four boys...and gotta put a link to the first day of school last year and the year before...hey, every year, another son gets added into the picture! whew, I don't think I can keep up at this rate, so don't expect a 5th son by the time Josiah starts 3rd grade :)...

...and apparently, we also need one of Mommy and three of the boys. So said Josiah, the photographer.
David had to have his turn with the camera; that's a given. As I looked through the pictures he took, this one struck me. Something about Tobin's expression stood out to me, so I took this SOOC image...
...and edited it a little to get this...
...and edited it still more to get this.

That image, more than any other, sums up everything that I've been trying to express in this post. When exactly did he get so big? When did Tobin change from a baby into this boy? Tobin wasn't even born yet when I started this blog; in fact, I wasn't even pregnant with him. And now, look at him. Just look at him.

Time marches on and waits for no one. I want to grasp it in my hands sometimes and hang onto it with all my might, but it slips away regardless. For that reason, tomorrow I'm going to stop what I'm doing to listen intently to Josiah, to watch David do his silly version of jumping jacks, to blow raspberries on Tobin's tummy, and to rub Shav's sweet, soft head. That's the only way I can fight against this too-fast thing called time.

TTT - Like a Snake!

David, being four years old, is at that wonderful age of expressing himself so freely that I'm consistently provided with plenty of Tiny Talk Tuesday fodder! Here are some things I jotted down from this past week...

One evening we were playing outside; and as I was pushing him on the swing, he suddenly burst forth into jubilant singing. The lyrics of his homemade song were...ummm...inspiring? He sang joyfully, "Oh, I wish I could scratch my back!" :) Well, my boy, it's a good thing you're just wishing that and not doing it, because if you were, you would probably fall off the swing. David's frequent musical outbursts often remind me of something that one of my music professors, Dr. Landis, used to say: if you don't spontaneously have a song in your mind at least once a day, you shouldn't even think about studying music or trying to make a career of it. With David's regular pattern of making music--whether composing his own little ditties, singing something he's learned, or simply humming a tune he's heard before--I'd say he could meet that qualification of being a musician quite easily!

********

Over supper one evening, David was trying to get Jeff to guess the name of a new friend David had met that day. He said, "Guess what his name is! You have 10 guesses." So Jeff started saying various names; but before he had even gotten to 10, David wanted to give him a hint so he helpfully said, "It starts with..." But then he stopped, because he wasn't sure what the first letter of the name really was. Suddenly he blurted out, "What does Kevin start with?" Fortunately David wasn't offended when we all burst out laughing at how he had given his secret away, and he even joined heartily in the merriment. He likes to make us laugh, he does!

********

On Sunday evening, Jeff killed a snake in our yard. That's a whole other story, and I hope to post about that someday soon...but I do want to record here that David, being the brave adventurer that he is, wanted to touch it. He must get that part of his nature from his daddy because the very thought of touching a snake makes my heart rate escalate--and not in a good way. Anyway, after he touched it, I asked him what it felt like, wondering what kind of a descriptor he would use for it. With an enormous amount of excitement reflected in his eyes and his voice, David exclaimed, "Pretty much like a snake!" Profound, my boy; that's profound. :)

Here's the fearless boy, actually holding the snake by the tail--holding half of the snake, that is, because Jeff chopped it in two in the process of killing it. At this point, the body of the snake was still wiggling around like they do after they're dead; it didn't freak David out too much though. Josiah, on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with touching that creepy thing. See how he's in the background, armed and dangerous with a hoe, ready to attack the vile creature again if it should suddenly come back to life? He's a boy after my own heart. Jeff struck the snake three times, convincingly killing it--it was in two pieces, after all. I would have struck it at least 50 times--and more, if it needed it. :)

Check out Mary at Not Before 7 for more Tiny Talk Tuesday.

Shav at Seven Weeks

To celebrate Labor Day (as well as jump start our celebration for the first day of school tomorrow), we took the boys out for breakfast at IHOP this morning. After a stop at Walmart and Home Depot, we came home; and I took Shav and headed outside to snap some pictures of him. It was fun--for me, at least. :) Actually, Shav did well, too, and didn't fuss at all. He didn't sleep either, but that's OK since he's past that sleeps-all-the-time newborn stage.

I like this first picture a lot...

...but Jeff says it looks like Shav is crying in it. As a matter of fact, he's smiling; and when I see this picture, I see joy: arms thrown out, feet kicking happily, not a care in the world, the I'm-naked-under-a-tree-and-I'm-soon-going-to-pee-on-this-blanket kind of joy. But to others, maybe he looks fussy. Oh, well, I still like it. :)

David came over after a few minutes and wanted to be in the pictures, too. He usually planted himself right in front of Shav, completely blocking Shav's face; but for this one, I told him where to sit and he complied. He surely loves his brothers.

David, being the hands-on boy that he is, wanted to take some pictures by himself, so I passed off the camera to him and followed his instructions to get in the picture with Shav. The result was a few blurry washed-out images...and one happy four year-old who got to do it ALL BY HIMSELF. From one of the pictures he took, I did some editing and ended up with this...
...which still isn't that great because it looks like I'm kissing a ghost--an adorable little ghost, to be sure, but a ghost nonetheless. I didn't know how to get Shav any darker though.

Last week I forgot to post anything about Shav's current weight, so before I forget again, let me mention that as of 6 weeks, he weighed 12 pounds and was 23 inches long--a healthy size and a good rate of growth. He's grown out of quite a few of his 0-3 month clothes, so I got out the plastic storage box of 3-6 month items and he looks good in those. :)

Shav still usually wakes up two times in the night to nurse, and I'm looking forward to that becoming "once" rather than "twice." He almost always goes right back to sleep after he eats, but last night he was much more interested in lying in my arms and looking at me and at the frames on the wall behind me than he was in sleeping. After I spent some time holding and rocking him, I decided that we had had enough face-to-face bonding time for the moment and we should continue it during daylight hours :)...so I went ahead and laid him back in his cradle while he was wide awake. He's still a little iffy on the task of getting himself to sleep in his cradle--sometimes it's easy and sometimes not--so I was very curious to see how he would do last night. Wonder of wonders, he did it! I'm so proud of him for how he's progressing towards this important skill of being able to get himself to sleep.

Over the weekend, I got more one-on-one time with Shav than I usually do; and I discovered all over again how delightful it is to have a newborn and be able to really enjoy time with him. For one thing, he's an excellent cuddle buddy, and I took advantage of that fact this afternoon when I napped with him on my chest--something I rarely do, but which I enjoy a lot. I can't say it often enough: it's such a treasure to have Shav, and we are so very blessed by his presence in our family. To have four happy, healthy, growing boys--and to be complimented on them by people we sat near at IHOP this morning as well as people we sat near at Dairy Queen tonight (where we ended this special day of celebration)--well, sometimes it seems almost too good to be true. My cup of blessings runneth over!

Simple Sunday - Flexibility

~ thankful for the lessons in flexibility that I'm learning...I can clearly see that after Tobin's birth and now after Shav's (and probably after Josiah's and David's, too, but I'm having a harder time remembering those), my nature tries to jump into hyper-control mode...it's as if I can deal more effectively with all the newness and craziness of the adjustment to another member of the family if I can just control everything: every situation, every reaction, every way of doing things...of course, this is about as effective as Adam and Eve covering themselves with leaves, but my nature still tries to do this...these days, I'm learning--again--how important it is to let go of the reins; to realize that I won't be, and shouldn't be, in control of everything; to relax and go with the flow; and to live with a great degree of flexibility every single day...I was reminded of this need for flexibility last night and this morning when, because of Tobin and even sweet little Shav not feeling well, we decided that I should stay home with them from our church service out at Highland Retreat...I had been looking forward to this so much and was honestly quite disappointed to miss it...when Jeff and the older boys drove off in the van this morning, I kind of wanted to cry; but instead I kept reminding myself that this is a season of life and seasons are temporary...one of these days, I won't be a mother of young children who has to stay home from enjoyable activities because one of the little ones is sick; and when that time comes, I'll undoubtedly miss this!...so today, I'm striving to get rid of the rigidness that tries to creep into my mind and instead walk with flexibility, bowing gracefully like a willow tree in the wind whenever unexpected events come along to change the way I think things are going to go

~ by the way, for pictures of my boys back at Highland Retreat, check out Emily's blog...I LOVE the fact that she takes pictures of my boys when I'm not around and posts them on her blog...it makes me feel like I'm not missing out on quite as much when I can't be in more than one place at a time! :)

~ to explain about these pictures, Jeff took these several months ago, actually on July 4th after we had watched our local parade...they are part of a set of pictures that shows up on my screensaver; and I'm inspired, whenever I see them, to be more flexible in how I live my days...I may not be able to suck on my toes like Tobin can...

...or poke myself in the eye with my big toe, but I CAN exercise flexibility in other ways...Tobin's physical abilities inspire me to greater heights of mental flexibility, and these pictures serve as visual aids for me in the process of striving to attain that

Borrowed Cheer

All day long, I've been writing blog posts in my head, then discarding them one by one. The reason? They're too negative. I'll simply say that today was a rough day, and leave it at that because my "keepin' it real" category has been getting too many additions to it recently. Once again, I'm left wondering where the balance is between, on the one hand, being honest/not sugar-coating things so as to appear better than I am and, on the other hand, thinking on the things that are lovely. How real should I be--and how often? Who wants to read about how overwhelmed I feel, yet again? Even more, who wants to write it? Who wants to live it? Is the catharsis I receive worth it when I spill my guts on the blog? Are those gut-spilling times in line with Ephesians 4:29 (no unwholesome talk, only what's helpful for building others up to benefit those who listen)? I know that I receive incredible encouragement when I share my frustrations in this venue and then read comments (like the ones from Jackie and Margie on yesterday's post) that are so uplifting and literally have the ability to change the course of my day as they inspire and energize me to press on a little longer...and I am so grateful for that. But is it self-serving to vent here? Anyway...something to think about...

My spirits were lifted today by an email from Jenn in which she included some pictures that she took yesterday at the park during her outing with Josiah and David. I love these boys so much, and seeing these pictures makes it easy to smile again. Thanks, Jenn, for giving me something cheerful to post!!

~ David in the tube slide, drinking his juice box (which isn't a box at all...should I call it a juice bag?)

~ an action shot of Josiah on the monkey bars...this reminded me of how much I used to love the monkey bars when I was a girl, and now it's fun to see Josiah doing the same

Also Attempting...

Today is the big test, the indicator of how things are going for me as a mother of four now that Shav is 6 weeks old. With Jeff's mom back in California, and Jeff being gone from about 5:00 AM this morning until maybe 10:30 or 11:00 PM tonight (with a quick break at home for supper before his evening meeting), this is where the rubber meets the road. Can I do it? Can I make it through a day with all four boys? :)

Fortunately, the situation is not that desperate. Six weeks have given us all a lot of time to adjust--and given me time to grow in confidence. But still, today's a long day. The good news though is that I haven't been alone in my care of the boys. Jenn kindly took Josiah and David to the park for a fun outing and picnic lunch there; and because I was so tired from a rough night last night (extra hard because Tobin has been a little under the weather), I asked my mother if she would take Tobin for a while this morning which she was glad to do. After everyone else had left, Shav slept in the swing; and I gratefully sank down onto the couch where I fell asleep in no time and slept deeply until Mother brought Tobin back for lunch. Receiving help from Jenn and my mom today has reminded me that even when I'm "alone" in my role as caregiver, I'm not really alone at all! For the umpteenth time, I'm so grateful for the support system with which I've been blessed!

Just for fun, here's a picture of Tobin at the fair last month. He quickly learned how to play this plastic trumpet; and the fair, with all its hubbub and happy chaos, was a good place for him to exercise his lungs and make a joyful noise! :) His cute little face inspires me, even when I'm tired and ready to collapse. Love is truly a powerful motivator.

Yesterday I mentioned some things that I'm attempting to do. I've thought of three main things to mention, but of course there are numerous smaller attempts that are part of the big three. In no particular order, here are my current attempts....

1. Attempting to maintain some degree of order and cleanliness in my home

~ I am not being a perfectionist about this, and I'm consciously striving to walk in grace towards myself in this area, realizing that at the end of the day, if I was a happy wife and mom, that is far more important than whether I did some laundry or ran the vacuum. But at the same time, I do want to figure out how to effectively be a keeper at home while having four children. I'm relying on FlyLady to help me out; and I find myself back to Day One of her BabySteps, reviewing the basics and getting back into the routines that make homemaking so manageable--and even fun. One more thought about FLYing: FlyLady says that FLY stands for "Finally Loving Yourself," but for me a much more exciting thought is that it stands for "Freely Loving You." After all, when I'm keeping up with my home and the various obligations within, I find it much easier to open my home and my life to those with whom I come into contact, as well as it being easier to be the happy wife and mom I mentioned at the beginning of this paragraph. When I know company is coming but the house is a mess and I have no menus planned, the stress I feel detracts in a large way from the peace and joy I would like to pour out upon our guests (and upon my family as we prepare for the guests). When I follow FlyLady's suggestions and stay disciplined with household tasks, I can much more comfortably open my heart and home to "freely love you." So that's my personal adaptation of one of FlyLady's points. :)

2. Attempting to homeschool

~ Our official school year kicks off on Tuesday, and I'm looking forward to it very much because not only do I enjoy teaching my children, but I also think that they are reaching the stage of being a little bored with summer's freedom and getting eager for some return to our school routine and the interaction we have as we read and study together. As much as I'm looking forward to it though, I'm also wondering how in the world I'm going to be able to do it! :) But I know it will work out; and before long, I'll look back and wonder why I was so concerned about it in the first place! One very useful piece of advice that I received came from this blog. Julie, of Boys, School, and Fun, wrote about getting off to a slow start and not jumping into every subject on the first day of school. What an excellent idea! Because I (and many other homeschool moms) delight in having all our ducks in a row, my natural inclination is to work like crazy to make sure all my planning is finished so that the first day of school can be a fine example of how we're going to cover every subject that we're planning to study...and it's all going to be so wonderful...and I'll show everyone (myself, more than anyone) that I really can homeschool even with a newborn...and...and...I'll probably burn out within the first month! In this situation, being an underachiever seems more prudent than overachieving. :) I can relax and look forward to that first day, first week, first month, knowing that we'll GRADUALLY work our way up to incorporating all the subjects. Now, rather than feeling like I still need to cram to finish up my last-minute planning, I feel like I'm actually ready for that first day--not only ready academically, but ready mentally as I (again!) give grace to myself and set realistic expectations, rather than setting myself up for failure by shooting too high.

********

Rats. I wrote the beginning of this post earlier today while the boys were having quiet time and naps, but I didn't have time to finish it. Now somehow it's 11:43 PM (the hours until the boys' bedtime seemed to drag, but the hours since then have flown!), and I'm feeling like for some reason, I am incapable of getting to bed at a decent hour. Every day I tell myself that I'm REALLY going to get to bed early that night (even going to sleep before Shav's late feeding so that I can get a jumpstart on my night's rest), but every night something comes up and it doesn't happen. Rats, rats, rats. Anyway, I'm not going to take the time tonight to conclude my thoughts the way I previously intended, but I'll go ahead and post this part now after including one more picture: a beautiful rainbow (actually a double rainbow if you look closely) that we saw one day last week. Seeing a rainbow is always an exciting, refreshing, event for me--a reminder of God's love and faithfulness. And oh, how I need that reminder some days!

My Attempt

One of my heroes :) recently posted some newborn pictures she took, and one of the shots included two rings. I knew right away that I wanted to imitate that, although I realized my images wouldn't come close to hers since she blows me away both in the creativity department and the technical know-how. But oh well, I won't let my perfectionism get in the way of capturing a sweet moment with Shav and my ring, even if I can't do it as well as she could have. I would have loved to include Jeff's ring, but alas, he was at work when I was fooling around with the camera so only mine gets in the picture.

I was planning to write more tonight about other things I'm attempting these days, but oh my, would you look at the time! 11:30, and I still need to take a shower tonight before I let my eyes drift shut. Maybe tomorrow I'll find a longer chunk of time in which to write.

I'll attempt it, at least. ;)

TTT - I Have a Belt!

Ah, a new month! That means a new header, a new background...a fresh start! I think this September is going to be GREAT!

Here are some things that have come out of my boys' mouths recently that I don't want to forget...

~ the way Josiah and David have laughed and laughed as they've watched a movie we borrowed from the library...apparently, The Jungle Book has some hilarious parts because, every time they see it, peals of laughter come up the stairs from where they're watching it...and it makes me pause and smile to hear their unrestrained joy

~ Tobin's word for anything round: he says, "moom"...which came about, I think, because he first started saying it for "balloon," specifically the beautiful, shiny, helium balloons that were given to us after Shav's birth...it's easy to see how "balloon" became "moom" in the mouth of an 18 month-old; and now he uses that same word, not only for balloon, but also for ball...it's so exciting to be able to connect meaning to something that Tobin says; this early stage of language is so fascinating--and occasionally frustrating as I scratch my head trying to figure out what he means!...so when I do understand him, it's a treasure

~ David's excitement on Sunday when he got to really dress up and look--and feel--special...both Josiah and David love to wear ties; and they often ask me on Sunday mornings if they can wear a tie that day (especially if their daddy happens to be wearing one)...but sadly, they don't really have many shirts that a tie would go with...however, after my recent organization project in their bedroom, I was able to discover a shirt for each of them that would go nicely with a tie, so this past Sunday, they both got to wear one--and they were delighted...lots of people noticed how nice they looked and complimented them on it; but what made me laugh was how, whenever someone said to David, "Wow, what a nice tie you have!" David would respond with, "I have a belt!"...and he did have a belt around his waist, a small plain black one, nothing that anyone else would get too excited about...but for him, that was MUCH more significant than a tie!...people looked a little puzzled when their admiration of his tie was met with his proud voice exclaiming, "I have a belt!"...it reminded me that what we think is most significant or will be most exciting to a child is not always correct...it made me think of shortly after Tobin was born, when Josiah had a conversation with our friend Katie McClay...when she asked him if he had anything to tell her, rather than saying anything about the new baby in the house, instead he told her all about his new watch :)...a child's opinion on what is most exciting certainly differs from an adult's, but that unique perspective is often what makes us delight in what they say--and record it in Tiny Talk Tuesday :)

Check out Mary at Not Before 7 for more Tiny Talk Tuesday.