Tongue Tied

I sat last night at a highschool graduation. The class of 2010. It dawned on me that 2010 is ten years more than 2000. I'm brilliant, as you know. My math skills are significant because I was in the graduating class of 2000. Ten years have slipped past since the night I turned my tassel and tossed my cap. Ten years since I kissed school goodbye. That is, until I got the bright idea to homeschool. There were a few years of educational respite, though. Ten years may seem like nothing to some. To those younger than I, it probably seems like forever. I can attest that it does seem like ten years should feel longer than it does. Especially considering all that has changed in my life in those years. As I watched thirtysome 18 year olds celebrate the end of their highschool careers, I found myself musing about them, which made me feel incredibly old, but I decided to go with it. I thought back to how I felt at my graduation. Adult. Mature. Free. Excited about the future. And ...

I'll be returning to the blogging world shortly. It's been a difficult week, and though I have ideas to write about, I just can't work up the motivation just yet. Please pray for our family as we gather to bury sweet baby Malachi tomorrow. Words escape me. And for John and Marissa. I can think of nothing more difficult for a parent than to say goodbye to their child. All I can do is praise God for His love and salvation, and for the fact that John and Marissa have a faith that isn't fairy tales or hopeful wishes. They KNOW that God's hand is all over their lives and they have confidence in His plan for good in their lives. I don't mean to sound arrogant, but I honestly cannot imagine how people cope with this sort of loss without the comfort of the Holy Spirit. We are blessed indeed. Lamentations 3:31-33 For men are not cast off by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. For he does not willingly brin...

In the continuing spirit of being myself, here are more lame things that I happen to like: Twilight Series (The books, not so much the movies. Sci-fi AND romance, much to my nerdy delight) Diagramming sentences The X-Files Carman Dressing my kids alike Olympic figure skating Movies making fun of Olympic figure skating Cold fried chicken, KFC only Pride and Prejudice, the book and the Kiera Knightly movie Movies with spontaneous musical numbers Reading for pleasure Minivans The names Oliver and Reuben Making lists Cleaning toilets Studying history Homeschooling Documentaries Making everyone in my vehicle wear a seatbelt Dr. Mario HGTV This list could go on and on....

They say confession is good for the soul. We shall see. Here are my top ten little secrets. Okay, so they're not all secrets to everyone. My sisters may find this post to be old news. 10. I am a huge slob. No kidding. It's intimidating to be a slob when nearly everyone I know is a good housekeeper. You people would be aghast at my bedroom floor. Aghast, I tell you. 9. I like shopping. I know it's materialistic and greedy and all, but I find it as soothing as some might find a nice nap or a cup of tea. I don't even have to buy much, if anything. But nothing tickles me more than a clearance rack. Or free shipping. 8. I'm an egomaniac/obsessive compulsive when it comes to my writing. Before I post just about anything from a blog entry to a comment on facebook, I must edit, revise, and check for any spelling or grammatical errors at least twice. Then again once it's posted. And again when someone comments. 7. I got ten pound weights awhile back and I have yet to use...

This is my baby. Well, my first baby. We tried almost a year for him. I was ready to admit to myself that we'd probably need medical assistance to get pregnant. It wouldn't be the first time someone in my family struggled with infertility. I was kind of expecting that we'd have trouble. But then, suddenly there we were, pregnant for the first time with no medical intervention. It was a rough pregnancy. I have yet to have a pregnancy that's not rough, as I've mentioned. But underneath all the nausea and the swelling and the hormones, I was bonding with my little one. We've always opted not to find out the gender of our babies. Though I may have moments of dying to know, overall, I love those months of knowing my baby based on nothing but the maternal bond we share. Yes, there's a little mystery involved when I don't know specifics about that person inside me rolling around, but on the other hand, there's nothing else I need to know other than that it...

Friday night, I chaperoned a youth group lock-in sponsored by "Baptists for Life", which as Jared mused, sounds like we are pledging to always be Baptist, but really it's an organization that aims to assist teen mothers and spread awareness of the harsh realities of abortion. They didn't hand out laminated Baptist membership cards. They probably knew I didn't deserve one. This event has come a long way since I was a teenager. I remember the first year our church attended this event. I think I was about fifteen. Purity was in no way a mystery to me. Back then, it seemed like "they" talked about it constantly, "they" being anyone who spoke or wrote to teens. We heard constantly how sex would destroy our lives. We heard things like "Sex is wonderful...when you're married." I remember Seth saying "If they don't want us to think about sex, why do they constantly bring it up?" Well, during that first lock-in, they brought ...

The relationship between siblings can be very complex. Layered. Curious. Thing One and Thing Two are no exception. Thing One is...how can I put this...an interesting child. He's kinda of a shrimp. Skinny. A bit on the whiny side. This kid has a sensitive/stubborn streak that has definitely put him at odds with his maternal unit at times, but he's normally pretty good for any other authority. He's got a natural athletic ability that didn't come from his parents. Catlike reflexes. He's very shy and rather unwilling to try new things. Life for Thing One needs to stay inside a nice comfortable box that he has designed. I don't baby him. That's just not my personality. But I can see how he likes to control his world. He can be rather self absorbed. Wonder where that came from. Thing Two is a polar opposite. Chubby. Not graceful. A huge tease. Generally mellow. Easily controlled. Doesn't mind transitioning to new things. Does have a bit of a shy streak, but I...

I just realized it's been over a week since my last post. I'm gonna let that slide since the last post was so meaty. It takes a lot out of a person, so I gave myself a break. My "break" consisted of Thing Two getting Pneumonia. Score! It's been a fun filled week with fevers, chest x-rays, and the lovely joy of forcing antibiotics and fever reducers down a squirming two year old's throat multiple times a day. I've come to the conclusion I'd be great in a rodeo. Thankfully, he's doing better today. No fever since yesterday, slept all night, and returned to being a brat first thing this morning (at 6:50). He has spent the morning trying to wake his brother up and using his toothbrush to scrub his toes. Now he's watching "Super Why" on PBS because I need a minute for Pete's sake. I read an article last night that said that two year olds watching tv led to overweight, underactive, unintelligent ten year olds. To those in charge of this...