Round Robin

The term usually brings to mind good things: ping pong games, family newsletters, the first stray scene from City Slickers ... fun stuff.

Unfortunately, we've been playing host to a round robin tournament for bacteria and virus strains living in our house. Each of us has gotten sick with at least two separate illnesses in the last two weeks. Yuck.

I hesitate to say so, for fear of being proven wrong, but I think we are all finally on the mend. If we really are, I have some plans for cooking and crocheting posts in the next few weeks. I had been hoping to post about some projects in the works, but they were pushed to the back burner while we all have been boosting our immune system activity and making sure there is enough tissue in the house.

***Update***

Dang. Not five minutes after I hit "Publish Post" I was cleaning baby spew off the carpet.

Don't pass out holding your breath for those new creative posts.

Because It's All Ancient History When You're Five

We were driving past a construction site near our house where they're building a pharmacy. I noticed a new sign announcing that the store would be open in a few months and pointed it out to the rest of the family. Rosi asked what it meant.

"It means they'll be done building soon and the Lewis will open up," I told her. "That's what the pharmacy is called."

"State Farm?"

"No," I laughed. "Pharmacy. It's where you go to buy medicine if you're sick."

"Or other stuff," Adam added.

"It's like Walgreens," I tried to relate it to something she knew.

"Except this one is called Lewis," Adam told her. "Like Lewis and Clark."

Rosi considered for a moment, then she asked, "Don't you mean Noah's Ark?"

My New Favorite Holiday

As far as celebrations go, I've always considered the 4th of July my favorite holiday. Parades and fireworks and going to barbecues with family and friends ... it just doesn't get any better than that. Or so I thought.

Little did I know, I was missing the greatest holiday celebration ever.

Did you know there is an International Chocolate Day? Really, today is dedicated to celebrate the wonder that is chocolate. I just found out about it myself, and the day's more than half over. To think of all the missed chocolate opportunities this morning ...

So, quick, while we still have the chance, let's celebrate together. Maybe I'll make chocolate pancakes for dinner. Or chocolate popovers. Yum.

If I had the ingredients I'd make S'more Bliss or the best oatmeal cookies ever (just substitute chocolate chips for the raisins).

What a great holiday!

You Can't Handle the Tooth

I didn't quite realize it had been over a month since I'd updated this blog. Time flies when you're having, uhm, fun.

I've been keeping busy through the last days of summer working on a deep cleaning and reorganizing of the house, getting my ideas and plans together to really dive into homeschooling this fall, and just generally thinking thoughts that don't necessarily translate so well to a post. The last few days, however, have offered several newsworthy items that I'd like to share.

For starters, baby teeth are busting out all over in our family. One of the kids is growing 'em in while the other one is yanking 'em right out.

"Mom," Rosi told me the other day as I got into the car. "I have a loose tooth!"

Since we had just recently seen the movie Tooth Fairy, I didn't think too much about it at first. But, we had to stop for gas, so while she, the baby, and I waited for Adam to fill the tank, I asked her to lean forward so I could check it out. Sure enough, one of the teeth on the bottom was getting pretty wiggly.

The next day, we were back in the car and she announced, "My tooth came out!" She'd already practiced this announcement several times, so at first neither Adam nor I reacted much. Then I asked to see it and held my hand into the back seat, expecting to get a giggle and reassurance, "I was just joking."

Instead, into my palm plopped a tiny, still bloody tooth. She's convinced that she's a real grown up now because she's getting her grown-up teeth.

Meanwhile, our son has six teeth fully grown in, four on top and two on bottom, with four more not quite breaking through the gums. Oh, and, yeah, he started walking this past week. That makes us two for two on early walkers. Both of them took their first steps at nine months.

All of which leaves me asking myself, where exactly is that pause button on life so we can relax and enjoy these moments a little more?

Cheap Stuff

This is just a public service announcement for all of you who don't have a regularly scheduled visit to Walmart each week, like I do. They have started their school supply sale. Yesterday I found:

• 24-packs of Crayola crayons for 25¢ each
• 1-subject notebooks for 15¢ each
• 10-packs of pencils for 50¢ each
• 2-pocket folders for 10¢ each

They had more stuff, too, but that was all that really interested me. I'm sure other big-box-type stores are starting their own sales this week or in the coming days, so if you're not a Walmart shopper, you can still find savings on all things school supply-y.

A Swing and a Miss

While on our way to pick Adam up from work this evening, Rosi pointed to a red sign on the corner and asked what it said. Given that there were only 4 letters, I asked her to sound it out.

Rosi: Sss-Teh-Ohh-Peh ... Ope! It says, "Ope"!

Amy: Let's try again. What's the third letter?

Rosi: O

Amy: And what sound does O make?

Rosi: Oh.

Amy: What other sound does O make?

Rosi: Umm ...

Amy: What words do you know that start with O?

Rosi: Octopus!

Amy: And what sound does O make in "Octopus"?

Rosi: Oh.

Amy: No. It's not "OAK-to-pus" is it?

Rosi: (giggles) Ah.

Amy: That's right. O-ah-octopus. Now can you try it again? S-T-O-P.

Rosi: Sss-Teh-Ohh-Peh.

Amy: What sound does the O make?

Rosi: Oh, I forgot. Sss-Teh-Ahh-Peh. (thinks for a moment) It says, "Exit"!

Some of the News Fit to Digitize

So much for coming back to post regularly, huh?

I've started a few updates over the last couple of months, but each time I got interrupted before I could finish, then lost my motivation or my train of thought or my seat at the computer. Now, seemingly suddenly, more than two months have passed.

As you might imagine, our son is growing by leaps and bounds. He's already seven months old. He crawls and cruises and he's been fussing the past 10 days or so sprouting four new teeth! Solid foods are his friend and he has started eating at least one full meal a day of nothing but solids. His favorites are avocado, banana, potato, and popcorn (just the soft puffy bit, not the kernel).

Rosi is doing her best to alternately care for him and torment him. She likes the idea that we'll trust her with the responsibility of watching him for a few minutes while we change out the laundry or check on dinner, but that doesn't preclude her desire to bonk him on the head with one of his stuffed toys just because she can.

She's been really making some breakthroughs of her own in the beginning stages of reading and spelling. She's able to pretty consistently sound out simple words, though the process is still slow. Rhyming is a favorite pass time (and car game) here. Her imagination is really been running wild as well. She enjoys making toys and tools from paper and whatever she finds around the house. The other day she came into the room carrying a dowel rod with her belt tied to one end. "Look, Mom," she told me. "I made a fishing pole!"

The whole family is getting ready to visit Adam's parents for the dedication of the New Testament translation they've finished. We've got our passports and we're working on making the travel arrangements. Despite my own experiences traveling to many places around the world--and not all of them easily accessible--it still amazes me that, in this modern age, there are places that require five days travel just to reach.

I'm also a bit overwhelmed at the idea of trekking through the jungle with my kids in tow. In all the adventure travel fantasies I ever had, I was never toting children along with me. Adam, on the other hand, is excited to be going home. He's not had the opportunity to visit since he left for college, which was nearly 20 years ago, now.

Otherwise, things are moving along. We're still trying to find a church home. It's a bit frustrating to visit church after church after church and still not be able to claim one as "ours." It does make for a bit of a sociological study, though. The biggest hurdle, for me at least, is that we show up on Sunday only to be completely ignored. Now, I'm not the sort who wants to stand up amidst a crowded service and introduce myself and my family, but isn't there even one person willing to go out of their way to recognize and welcome a family they don't know? Apparently such folks are few and far between.

Instead of that personal touch, we've gotten brief surveys, a worship CD, a gift card to the local bakery (because, as the enclosed note explained, "Jesus is the BREAD of life"), and an invitation to be included in the next church directory.

The bread was yummy, anyway.

So, we'll keep at it.

Well, not just for the bread ...

Laughing Out Loud

I saw this on a message board the other night and literally* laughed out loud:

*And I mean that literally.

Back on the Face of the Earth

I know a few of you must have thought I'd fallen off. Not yet. Life has just been a bit busier than I was expecting. Therefore, instead of getting the series of real posts you deserve, you get this lovely bulleted list with highlights from the past month.

• Georgie, my beloved 14-year-old Saturn, broke her steering wheel for the second time since the fall. Given her age, Blue Book value, and the estimated cost of the repair, we felt it was in our best interest to buy a new-to-us car. After three days of test driving, comparing options, and recalculating our budget, we bought Jim, an 8-year-old Saturn with a few additional features Georgie never had, like power windows, cruise control, and a CD player.
• We took Jim on our first road trip since we moved here to Sioux Falls. Over Easter Weekend, we drove to Kenosha, Wisconsin to visit some old friends and have our son baptized. We loved participating in the Easter Vigil service at Light of Christ. Rosi and I went to the Easter morning service as well, but Adam stayed back at our hotel with the baby who was so tuckered out he slept the whole time!
• We are officially church hunting again. We actually were going to check out a new church this past Sunday, but three of the four of us were sick, so we stayed home and slept in instead. Thankfully, we're all recovered now and looking forward to visiting a local Lutheran church this weekend.
• I cut my hair! Well, okay, technically, Adam cut my hair. I was getting frustrated with the time and energy it took to maintain my long hair--not to mention how much conditioner it took to keep the tangles down. My hair is now very short in the back and about down to my cheekbones on top. In my opinion, it looks kind of '80s, but the '80s are hip and retro now, right? I've never been the stylish one on the block. I like it short anyway; the time it saves in the shower is amazing, and I'm convinced my conditioner will now last forever because the tiniest bit conditions my entire head!
• This next week, my dad is coming up for a visit. He was here last year about this time, but he'd flown in to the airport at Omaha, which is about a three-hour drive from us. We only had to drive down once for his return flight, since my brother picked him up when he arrived. This time, he found a flight directly to Sioux Falls, which will make for a much nicer drive to and from the airport. We're hoping to visit the zoo while he's here. We were planning to go with Adam's parents when they were here last fall, but the last several days of their visit were cold and rainy, so none of us felt much like walking around looking at empty animal enclosures.

Finally, I really would like to start blogging more. I think I need to find a time that I can regularly sit down and write a post or two every week. Actually, I think we're getting to the point where we need to have a weekly schedule again. I have found in the past that having a plan for my days really does help me get more accomplished. Otherwise, I feel like I'm constantly performing chore triage and noting much gets accomplished. I was thinking I might start with some easy posts, like a series of my favorite things. So, those of you who have faithfully kept us with me, even when I'm not keeping up well with you, please, leave a comment and let me know what favorites you might like to read about: movies? games? books? cooking shows? What do you want to know?

Growing Up to Be Me

I wrote this for myself about a year ago. I just found it in my files and it really spoke to me again. I thought maybe somebody else might need to read it today, too.

God, when I grow up, I want to be a snowflake. Or maybe a falling star. I want to be lovely and singular. I want to catch the attention of those who would otherwise miss the beauty of the world.

When I get big, I want to take on the big boys and play like I mean it. I want to look out for the little guys and make sure that everybody sticks to the rules. I want to climb out of this box labeled, "Unimportant--Discard" and be heard by everyone who has ever ignored me.

I want to believe in myself. I want to know that I can do it. I want to take pride in my accomplishments.

I don't want to be lonely or left out or forgotten.

I want to matter. I want to be important. I want to know that I am worth ... something ... anything ... a lot.

I want to be cool. I want to be respected. I want to be desired. I want to be admired. I know I am loved; I want to feel like I am.

I want to make a difference. I want to be remembered. I want to be missed when I'm not there.

I want to stop being scared that I don't count, that I don't have a voice, that I'm not ... something ... not someone.

I’m so tired of being scared. Magical thinking, I’ve heard it called. Believing that I have power in situations where I have none. I am afraid that if I say, “I want to know that everyone loves me for me, not just for what I do,” God will teach me this lesson by making me sick or injured or paralyzed, so that those who love me must do so only because of who I am.

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

I John 4:18

You need have no fear of someone who loves you perfectly.

So, why am I still afraid?

• Habit
• Erroneous logic
• Wanting to be in control
• Remembering past hurts

How can I heal? How can I know who is trustworthy? How can I have faith in my own belief?

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-—not by works, so that no one can boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9

And, while I'm asking, God, why do I keep having to learn the same lessons again and again and again? Did I not really learn them the first time? Or is it just that I need to learn them on a deeper level now?

Sigh. Growing up is hard sometimes.

God, can I just curl up in Your lap for a while and take a nap?

The Digital Gap

We're working our way through a free trial of Netflix this month. Rosi has been asking to see more movies through their instant online viewer, so I queued up Jetsons: The Movie for us to watch together.

As it loaded, she asked me what it was. I told her it was a cartoon. I also mentioned that it was something I used to watch when I was about her age.

"Did you watch it on this site?" She asked.

"No," I replied. "They didn't have the internet when I was your age."

"Oh," she responded. "Did you watch it on Hulu?"

Spring

I'd always thought of spring as being heralded by birds in song and flowers in bloom. If that's true, we're not quite seeing signs of spring here in South Dakota Maybe there's a precursor to spring ... a season after winter has ended, but before spring has, um, sprung.

What to call it? Wing? Sprinter? Whatever its name, it is muddy and foggy and, honestly, not warm enough for the shorts and t-shirts I keep seeing folks walking around in.

Crazy people.

I do admit to going out without a coat today, though. It was 40° after all.