TTT - Your Mother's Flowers

Josiah is nearing the end of his second grade work, and one of the books we're finishing up is a Bible Q&A book that my parents gave him for Christmas. One of the pages we did recently had a fill-in-the-blank exercise, using some verses from Proverbs. He was doing great with this verse, "My child, listen to your father's teaching, and do not forget your mother's_______." However, instead of the correct answer "advice," he creatively came up with "flowers." Ah, yes, apparently God thought it was important enough that we remember our mother's flowers that He put it in the Bible. I like this new RJV* version!

* Revised Josiah Version

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This doesn't really qualify as TTT because it involves something the big man in my life said to me, rather than the little ones; but if I don't jot it down now, I'll probably forget it, and I don't want to do that, of course!

Last night, Jeff went to bed before I did, since I stayed up really late to try to catch up on some emails and other "urgent" matters. When I finally crawled under the covers, Jeff was on his side, facing away from me. He started moving around restlessly, turned over towards me, and then said in a scratchy, drunk-old-man voice, "It's not nice to get into bed when my back is turned!" Even though his voice was mumbly, I could understand him and assumed that he was actually awake. Through my laughter, I answered him, "What did you expect me to do? Sit here for an hour and wait for you to turn over so I could get into bed with you facing me?" He didn't say much, so I just laughed some more and then fell asleep.

Today he claims he doesn't remember anything about this conversation! Imagine that! :)

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

Just a Piece of Blue Cotton

Everyone knows that girl clothes are more fun than boy clothes.

As I walk through my local Walmart, on my way from the Wheat Thins to the laundry detergent, I glance over to the baby girls' section; and I agree. Myriad shades of pink--purple, light and dark--fresh apple green--cheery red--ruffles--lace--Easter dresses...need I say more?

But when I'm at home, working on the sentimental project of putting away the clothes Shav has outgrown and getting out the next bigger size for him to grow into, I think to myself that boy clothes--my boys' clothes--are better than pink ruffles any day. When I see the sleepers and onesies and jeans and outfits that they have worn, I realize that they're not just pieces of cloth anymore. No matter how cute a particular fabric or style might be, nothing competes with the draw that memories have.

Take this blue sleeper, for example, that Shav was wearing today:

Every time I see it, I think about the fact that my brother David and his wife gave it to us when our David was a baby. That's special, but there's something even more significant about this particular garment.
When David and Lori decided to adopt, their original intention was to first get a newborn (or as close to it as they could get) son, and then adopt again a few years later. They knew that the boy would be at least a few months old by the time all the paperwork and regulations were dealt with, so they selected a size according to their best estimate and chose this sleeper that has pictures of houses and airplanes and dogs and so forth and says things like, "We're There!" and "Adventure Trip" and "Going Home."
Then, when their plans were changed by their decision to adopt an older sibling group, they no longer had a need for such a small sleeper so they passed it along to us. Now when I see it, I think about them and the children they adopted...I think about David and Tobin wearing it when they were babies...and here Shav is, once again utilizing what is really just a piece of blue cotton, but which to me, is so much more.
It's love, plain and simple, framed by the sweetness of memories.
I suppose it's no wonder that as I look through our boxes of beloved baby boy clothes, I tell Jeff a little hesitantly, "I kind of hope I get to use these again someday."

It's also not surprising that, though I sometimes glance wistfully at matching mother/daughter outfits, I'd rather have my baby boy clothes than all the pink dresses in the world!

There Am I With Them

~ Jeff took this photo in the little town of Askam, England, during the few (beautiful!) days we spent there as we moved from Israel back to the States - August 2005

As we visit various local churches during this time of searching for God's next spiritual home for us, I am reminded of this verse and encouraged by His presence in so many different places. Not just locally, but all around the world--in big cities in Israel, small villages in England, medium-sized towns in America, caves and other secret places in China--groups of Jesus-followers are meeting today--and have met throughout this past week. God is with them.

And God is with us! What a wonderful promise!

Hello, Computer. My Name Is Davene.

Since we haven't been spending much any time together recently, I thought I'd better introduce myself again. I am a very busy wife and mother and homeschooler and keeper of my home, who thought, at the beginning of this week, that it would be a really relaxed, not-very-busy week. However, as I looked at the calendar tonight, I counted thirteen scheduled items for this week, and one is an all-day violin festival for Josiah tomorrow. Just when I think life will surely slow down, it seems to get even busier.

But then I remembered that last March felt like this, too: the height of busy-ness for the spring semester. After this month, activities begin to decline--choir classes are over, for example. In April, the pace begins to slow; and that continues even more in May, until June ushers in the glorious lazy days of summer. So I take a deep breath and plunge on, into the rapidly rushing waters of March's schedule.

The answer to the question I posed in my last post was, as you guessed, Jamestown. I have high hopes of doing a more complete post about that, but not tonight. All you get now is another picture of a small boy in a helmet like the earliest colonists would have worn. I'm not sure that Tobin knew what to think about such a great weight being put on his head!

For more pictures of my boys, you can check out Emily's blog. We had the pleasure of spending the afternoon with her and part of her family in our local Wendy's restaurant; and to our great fortune, she had her camera with her. I love to see the way she captures the boys' personalities in the snapshots she takes.

And now, dear computer, kitchen duties are calling my name. I wish I could be more devoted to you, but it's just not possible at this point in time. You understand, I'm sure.

My Dad Cares About My Laundry

Over supper tonight, my dad asked if my recent absence from blogging indicated that my laundry had once again piled up. Fortunately, the answer was no. My laundry is doing just fine, thanks for asking. :) Life, however, is incredibly full; and once again, I find myself in the phase of "oh my goodness, I have so much to do, and there's never enough time for everything, and I am so tired, and how do I decide what is most important, and I just don't think there will be time for blogging today, and when in the world will things ever slow down??"

Meanwhile, here's a picture of one of the handsome little warriors that dwells in our house. This was taken during our recent get-away. Anyone want to guess where we were?

Young and Old

~ I took this picture of the hands of my mother, her sister Joyce, and Josiah, during Aunt Joyce & Uncle Jay's visit with us (they live in Canada) - March 2009

I don't remember when I first became acquainted with this verse, in terms of it standing out to me like our neighbor's blaze orange windsock atop his welding shop does as I glance out my kitchen window. But at some point in my youth, while I still lived at home, Mother and I began to remind each other of this verse and, by so doing, build each other's faith. It became, in my opinion, our verse. It's fine if it means something to you; but really, God put it in The Book for us. :)

By the way, if you've got a minute and didn't do this two weeks ago, click here to visit Leah's blog and see her first Truth-Light-Hammer-Fire post. She chose a wonderful verse, and the picture she paired with it could not have been more appropriate. The photo and text, as well as her commentary, has come back to my mind repeatedly since I first saw it. (I like her second Truth-Light-Hammer-Fire post a lot, too!) :)

Caught Up (Enough)

I'm finished!!! Well, sort of. As finished as I can get, it seems. The washing machine is humming along with a half load of darks as I type, and there are a few light-colored items left for another day; but basically, I'm done.

I've been reminded, during this week of Focus on the Laundry, that "caught up" is a misnomer when applied to the laundry situation of a family of six. "Caught up" might last all of 30 seconds: until Shav spits up or has a leaky diaper...until Tobin spills yogurt down the front of his shirt...or until some other mess happens to a member of the family. (Incidentally, one of the memorable messes of the day occurred to me this evening when Tobin fell off a kitchen chair and needed picked up and comforted. As I reached out for him, he put his little arms around me and buried his face in my shoulder. The only problem was that he had just been licking up some brownie batter in the typical two-year-old fashion that spreads it from ear to ear and hand to hand. My apple green turtleneck suddenly got a few brown spots.)

It has been good--really good--to make this a priority and crawl out from under the mountain of laundry this week. I've missed blogging, to be sure; but the breather has brought me relief in one area of household duties, and I'm pleased about that. Now my goal is to stay on top of it and not let myself get buried quite so deeply in dirty clothes again.

I couldn't post about Laundry Week without saying a big thank you to my wonderful assistant who folded many, many loads of clothes this week; she was sidelined briefly by bronchitis, but was back to her usual volunteer position today. Thank you, Mother; I couldn't have done it without you!!

Fortunately, she was cheered on by the cutest little spectator one could wish for.
I often hung the Johnny Jump-Up (that our neighbors are letting us borrow) in the doorway between my room and Shav's while she worked; and Shav had fun bouncing around and watching her.
This darling boy brings joy to even a monotonous chore like folding clothes.
Now that this huge project is behind me, it's time to turn my attention to other things. Next up: a wedding, a trip, and...

Who knows what will come along next week?! :)

I'm Not Going to Blog Again Until...

...I get caught up on laundry. So if I don't write anything for the next five years, you'll know why. ;)

Here's the thing: I like laundry! But I do NOT like being overwhelmed by it, having never-ending piles in the laundry room, seeing clothes from the top of the laundry chute because the chute is so full, having piles of folded clean clothes littering my bedroom as they wait to be put away, finding unmatched socks that are awaiting a mate that may still be somewhere in the clothes chute or laundry room, etc. I have been behind in laundry for so long that it's pathetic. And it's time to change that.

I know that with the FlyLady system of doing a load (or two) of laundry every day, I could stay on top of it fairly easily. But there are two problems keeping me from this goal: getting on top of it in the first place and making it a habit to do laundry even when I don't feel like it. I realize more and more as time goes by that I am far too emotion-driven when it comes to housework. I get inspired to start a project so I dive in, even if it's not the most important thing at that time; but I neglect the things that really matter because I "don't feel like" doing them.

No more! Not with laundry anyway. I am bound and determined to get caught up as soon as possible. That means laundry chute empty, no piles in the laundry room, washer empty, dryer empty, clothes baskets empty, all clean clothes put away, and the lonely socks in my bedroom sorted so that the ones who really don't have a match can be thrown away (actually, sent to the thrift store for cloth recycling). Until this happens, I will not blog. Not only will I free up some time to do laundry by not blogging, but also I'll provide some powerful incentive for myself. As my fingers itch to get on the keyboard and as my mind craves the mental release of blogging, I'll push myself to do the next load of laundry even if I don't feel like it.

But, before I take off on my self-imposed exile, I'll include a few pictures of Josiah from earlier today. The boys had pushed the couch out from the wall and put some of the cushions behind it to create a fort (or something). After David and Tobin had abandoned it and found somewhere else to play, Josiah moved in, stretched out, and used it as a cozy reading spot.

The book he's reading? It's The Fellowship of the Ring, #1 in The Lord of the Rings series by J. R. R. Tolkien--the real deal, not a kid's version, not abridged. The real McCoy, folks.
If you had told me two years ago, as we struggled to get through Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons with more cheerfulness and less grumpiness, that when Josiah was 7, he would be reading Tolkien, I would have laughed just like Sarah.
And now look at him. Unbelievable!

Well, I'm off. If anyone needs me in the next few days, you'll know where to find me.

In the laundry room!

Brothers in Harmony

~ Josiah and David in Coronado, California - May 2009

Seven Things for Seven Months

At seven months of age, Shav...

1. wears size 3 diapers, wears mostly 6-9 month clothing with some 12 month clothes thrown in for good measure, and weighs a nice amount (and that's as specific as I can get about his weight because I completely forgot to weigh him today!).

2. got his first haircut a week and a half ago (on Feb. 10)...I had dropped the three younger boys off at the barber shop while I took Josiah to his violin lesson...when I returned, I noticed, as soon as I held Shav, that Jeff had trimmed the hair around his ears and the back of his neck...and to think that I wasn't there when it happened and no one took a picture! :)

speaking of hair...

3. loves to reach back with his right hand and grab the hair at the back of my neck when I'm holding him on my left side (when I hold him, that's the side he's on about 99% of the time)...I don't remember any of the other boys being quite so determined about this when they were little; but for some reason, Shav dearly loves to grab a handful, clench it tightly, and resist all efforts to unclasp his little hand and release my hair...it was interesting to me, when our neighbors were over for dinner recently, to see their little baby Jason doing the same exact thing to his mommy Wilma
4. is at the age where it's becoming difficult to nurse him with anyone else around...he gets so distracted!...if he hears someone nearby, he wants to turn his head around to find the source of the sound...if I'm doing stuff on the computer while I'm trying to nurse him, he usually--unless he's really tired--wants to see what's going on, so that limits my already meager amount of computer time these days...he's becoming so social that sometimes I feel like to get him to really eat well, I have to go off to another room and seclude ourselves so he can focus :)
5. is a great eater when it comes to solid foods...I haven't gotten very adventurous with what I feed him; but all the traditional baby food (rice cereal, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, squash, pears, applesauce, green beans, peas) have been a hit with him...these days, he likes to bite the spoon when I put it in his mouth; and since he's got two top teeth and two bottom teeth, he can really grab it and hang onto it when he bites down
6. loves his brothers so much...loves to watch them...loves it when they make eye contact with him...loves it when they speak his language (he croaks; and all of them, even Tobin, now know how to croak back to him)...loves it when they get close to him...sometimes I think about how he is so blissfully unaware of danger when they are physically close to him...even though they wouldn't ever hurt him intentionally, in their exuberance, accidents could happen; and as I keep a sharp eye out, I occasionally wince as I imagine what injuries could occur...he is oblivious though--happily so--completely trusting that we will take care of him--content just to be surrounded by people who love him...he takes such great delight in watching us!
7. is so very, very patient...maybe he doesn't have a choice since he's the youngest; and of course, he's completely accustomed to having others around who have needs to be met as well since that is how his life has always been...but still, I'm grateful that when I'm spooning sweet potatoes into his mouth and have to abruptly leave to clean up some spilled milk, he doesn't complain...when I'm nursing him and have to break off so I can pick up and soothe Tobin who just fell down, he's OK with that...he seems to have been blessed with the patience of Job, and that makes my life so much easier

I was going to stop at seven, but I thought of something else I want to write down. Here's one to grow on...

8. is often called Shavi (I can't figure out how to spell it: Shavvie? Shavi? Shahvee? :)...David came up with this nickname for him, and it has stuck...he's our first boy to have a one-syllable name that can easily acquire an "ie/y" ending (like John/Johnny), so I suppose it's no surprise that we often call him that...it just rolls off the tongue...sometimes I'll hear David call him Shavi-Wavi-Pavi-Wavi (David used to call Jeff "Daddy Waddy," and in return Jeff would call him "David Wavid") :)

Oh, sweet Shavi, how we love you! We are so grateful for these seven precious months that God has given us with you!!!

Ice, Baby

Josiah Wants You to Know...

...that he lost a tooth! (This blog is such a part of our family life that now, when anything particularly noteworthy occurs, someone always asks, "Are you going to put this on your blog?" Or, as in the case of Josiah with his missing tooth, "Will you please put this on your blog?") :)

His two top front teeth were loose (as well as a bottom tooth)--so loose, in fact, that yesterday Josiah and I were talking about the fact that very soon, one of them would surely be coming out. We did not, however, expect it to occur that very evening, helped along by a bad fall Josiah took on a sidewalk after his choir class. I was standing with Tobin and Shav in the stroller and was chatting with another mom while David and Josiah were racing around with Will and Sarah. Suddenly we heard a child screaming in pain. It was Josiah; and as we rushed to him, I saw blood pouring out of his mouth. I wasn't surprised to see blood since I immediately thought of his loose teeth; but I couldn't tell at first whether it was coming from his lip or his gum. Turns out it was both.

If both his top teeth were loose before, they were VERY loose after the fall. After dinner, Jeff got out the oil of cloves to numb the area and a pair of tweezers to give the loosest tooth a yank. What really happened is that Josiah himself gave the final tug on the tooth to get it out. And now my little (big) sweetheart has a funny gap-toothed grin...

...and a slightly puffy upper lip. I think he's adorable.

The other two times Josiah has lost a tooth, I've taped them in his baby book. But obviously I can't do that with all of the teeth he'll lose during the next few years, so for this particular tooth, I'm just going to remember it by this picture of his bloody tooth and the tweezers, still with a little blood on them. Lovely.

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David wants you to know that he really, really likes ties.

One of Jeff's co-workers often gives us hand-me-downs from her son who is a little older than Josiah. We are always grateful for her generosity, but David was especially pleased with something that came in the stack today: a dress shirt with coordinating tie. Even though it's really for Josiah (although David will get it in a few years when he grows into it), David couldn't resist grabbing the tie and clipping it on his shirt. A blue and yellow tie with a green knit shirt with gray and red stripes? Why not? Who says those colors and textures don't match?!

I did, however, insist that he leave the tie at home when we went to Josiah's group violin lesson today. :)

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Tobin wants you to know that these days, he's really a Grandma's boy.

Although Tobin is very affectionate and easily shows his love for all of us, he seems particularly fond of Grandma, lighting up when he sees her, waving at her from our front window (even if she's down the hill at her house and can't possibly see him), hurrying to her when she comes in our house, holding up his arms to be picked up, wanting to be with her when she goes upstairs to fold laundry, rushing to get out of his chair after supper so that he can go over to her chair and convince her to pick him up so he can sit on her lap and eat all the goodies that she has on her plate. If she's eating dessert, that's an especially good time to do this. He really loves his grandma! (And I think she's pretty fond of him, too!)

Tobin thought it was fun...
...to wear his daddy's hat today.

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Shav wants you to know that Grandpa's lap is a great place to hang out after supper.

We have no pictures tonight to prove this, but it's unusual for an evening to go by without Shav ending up on Grandpa's lap while I finish eating my supper and then start putting the food away and cleaning up the kitchen.

You might think that my dad would be more interested in the older boys and not the baby; but, although he certainly loves them all and interacts with each of them, he has always had a soft spot for the youngest. I remember when David was our baby and Dad would often hold him. And then came Tobin, and David sort of graduated up the chain and Dad focused on Tobin. Then along came Shav, and it happened all over again. I think it's wonderful to watch the love between the generation above and the one below me.

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Jeff wants you to know that this is what happens to him when Tobin is around:
a funny hat gets put on his head and Mommy's favorite snowman is brought to him to cuddle with. Tobin is so helpful like that. If only I could cuddle with Jeff and the snowman could clean up the kitchen!

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I want you to know that I think every day should have at least 28 hours...and even that probably wouldn't be long enough for all that I think I need to do.

I want you to know that I wish I could go on a writer's retreat. I've heard about various writers who get away for a day or a weekend just to have quiet time and space to focus and write. That sounds heavenly to me. I have so many ideas rolling around in my head for things I want to write about, and sometimes it drives me crazy. I just wish I could get it all out, write it down, have it done with, so that I could start fresh and not have these pestering ideas bouncing into my thoughts!

I want you to know that even though my laundry chute is full, even though my pile of paperwork on the telephone counter is still tall, even though the porch only got half-swept today before I got interrupted in that task and had to leave a big pile of dirt (which is still there), even though it's been close to forever since I had the chance to sit down and play my piano, even though I'm decorated with spit-up every day, even though my ears ring from the noise and my eyes ache from the mess that four children create, even still...

They are so worth it!
When I see Tobin with his sleeper on backwards over a shirt and with Josiah's shoes on his feet...
...and I see David and Shav cuddled so close together...
...and I see Josiah, the protective big brother, watching out for everyone...
...I know, without a doubt, it is SO WORTH IT!