Extraordinary Life

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Pay biz bills, my to-do list says.

Someday, that will mean sitting down with a cup of coffee, a roll of stamps, and a book of checks.

But it is not this day.

Today, I let Emmett stay up a little extra because he’s playing nicely with his brothers, and I flip through the bills that came in the mail, pulling some out to pay right away, putting others in a stack to pay next week.

I stand at the counter, pen in hand. The boys are completely silent, all three of them. I know they’re playing Baby Robin though and assume it’s nighttime and that all the little birds are sleeping.

I pay a little something to Alec’s school and write a check for the one pressing “came in the mail” bill. Chaos breaks out in the back bedroom. I go get Emmett and put him to bed. ...continue reading →

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I am not looking forward to sending my boys back to school this fall.

It wasn't till last week though that I realized I haven't even been making the most of the time I do have with them.

The time right now.

I'm with them all day every day, but the amount of time I spend actually doing anything with them is pretty small. Eric is so good at setting aside time specifically for them. Me, not so much.

Emmett's nap time comes around, and with it my chance to get some computer work done, and I hear myself shooing this boy or that away so I can "get stuff done" while Emmett is sleeping.

And I decided to change that, while I still have them home over nap time. Why would I wish for more time with my boys and then push them away when I have a chance for some one-on-two time with them?

If you want to make a change, just tell your kids. They'll keep you accountable. ...continue reading →

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One of my favorite things so far this summer break has been being able to do Bible Time with my boys again. We had largely gotten away from doing it with any regularity while school was in session. That school run in the morning just derailed the nice little time slot right after breakfast when we were used to doing it, and I never found another time that worked quite as well.

Now that school is out though, that nice little time slot is back, and so is our singing, verse-practicing, and story-reading.

On Friday morning every single boy helped sing “Jesus Loves Me.” Even Emmett sang, and there was nary a poopy chicken invoked. (See my post before last if you're confused--he's been known to throw a "poopy chicken" in wherever he thinks it fits.)

The big boys repeated after me the verses we’ve been trying to learn. I had read these verses in my own reading quite a while ago and ended up printing them off on a poster to put in the boys' room. They've been hanging there for months, maybe even a year, but the boys haven't really learned yet what they say.

“As for you, my son, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you.” (1 Chronicles 28:9, NKJV)

I took a few liberties with the verse on the poster, omitting the name of “my son” (Solomon) and not including the last part of the verse (“But if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever”), but when I read it in Chronicles so long ago, I just knew I wanted it to be on my boys’ wall, as a reminder for both them and me.

It’s about time they know what it says. 🙂 ...continue reading →

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The other day I followed a car out of town, and on that car was a bumper sticker that said, “All men are animals. Some just make better pets.” Or something along those lines.

Now of course I didn't, but I’ve never wanted to rear-end somebody so badly. Rear-end them and see who showed up to help. See who took their statement. See who fixed their car.

It could’ve been all women, certainly. But chances are, it would’ve been some of those “better pets.”

Just the term makes me see red.

Men are not animals, and men are not pets. ...continue reading →

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Man, I love a toddler.

Especially mine.

I just saw sweet little hands uncurl around a big lava rock, a pile of colored rubber bands, and a broken piece of a sparkly geode as he left his treasures on the counter in order to grasp a water cup with both hands.

I leave drinking cups on the counter for the big boys, and Emmett always has to drink out of them both. “I firsty,” and he holds up a hand. Drinks long. Puts the cup back. “I firsty,” and he holds up his hand for the other cup, too.

He loves to say “chicken,” and his two favorite uses are “poopy chicken” and “chicken house.” He said “poopy chicken” out loud at least four times during his Aunt Nikki's graduation, but hopefully no one was able to decipher it.

That aside, he’s very polite. Help him with something, and he’s sure to say “tanks” at least twice, if not three times. When I pray with him at bedtime, he says, “Thank you, Mom,” only it’s so fast and clipped that it sounds like “Tay tu, Mom.” When he wants something and is afraid of not getting it, he says, “Peas, peas, peas!”

He loves to copy his brothers in the things they do and say, and the other day when we were in the car, he was mimicking literally everything they said. He gets goofy right alongside them, and there is so much hooting and hollering and laughing. ...continue reading →