Early in the summer, I came across a blog that featured a cute picture of a summer “Bucket List” the author created for her daughter.  She said she created the list so that they could do fun things all summer, rather than waiting until two weeks before school started.  She said last year, they lounged around all summer and then realized that they hadn’t done certain things they wanted to do during the summer.  So the last weeks of the family’s relaxation time were packed with activities.

I liked the idea of planning certain fun events and thought it was a good idea.  For us it’s (usually) not about lounging around, it’s about being too busy to pay attention to the certain things that are only available to do during the summer time.  I made two lists that I kept on my desktop. One list of things I wanted to do, and one list of fun summer things we did.  So here are a few things we did this summer:

• Spent lots of time at Hawaiian Falls, the local water park, and made great use of our season passes.
• Mom & Woody Date – Went to see “Judy Moody” because he read all of the Judy Moody and Stink books & loved the characters.
• Mom & Tigger Date – Made cookie “burgers”. We used ‘Nilla wafers for buns, Keebler Grasshoppers for the meat patty, white icing for mayo, colored icing for ketchup and mustard, and colored coconut flakes for the lettuce.  They were so cute, and pretty tasty, too.
• Vacation Bible School – We did 2 VBS’ in one week! One at our church and one at a local church where they have lots of friends.
• We had our annual “Ice Cream for Dinner” night, only we substituted ice cream for frozen yogurt from our local favorite shop.
• Made Ice Cream for a snack one day.
• We burned things with magnifying glasses.
• Saw the long awaited movie, “Cars 2″.
• We read many, many, many library books.
• We got to meet and hold a brand new baby, when my dear friend gave birth to a little miracle.
• Boys got to spend a week at Allaso Ranch (camp).
• We visited an art museum and saw the Picasso and Braque exhibit at the Kimball Art Museum.
• We visited the planetarium and got to see the stars without getting bitten by bugs.
• We made Popsicles.
• We went to Houston to visit with Beba & Big Daddy
• We clowned around at the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus.
• We visited Krispy Kreme and remembered the tales of the doughnut machine from one of our favorite books “Homer Price.”

The things that were on my list that we didn’t get to were:

• Find a drive in movie theater – I found one, but it’s been soooo hot that it hasn’t even been a viable option.  When it is 106 at 4PM, it is still nearly 100 at 8PM. Bleh. Not fun…
• Lay in the yard and watch the stars – Again, I blame the heat for not doing this.
• Go bowling – No excuse, just didn’t get to it.

So, that pretty much sums up our summer.  Lots of fun hanging out together.  We tried some new things and revisited old favorites.  All in all, it was a great summer.  Now to see what excitement our school year holds!

I couldn’t help but laugh when Tigger told me today, “Mom, it’s really hard to say the word ‘tooth’ when you don’t have your front two teeth.”

Of course, I giggle every time he smiles now. I love this toothless grin.

Toofless Tigger

(For those who need to know: Hubby placed 3rd.  Woody scored 240-something out of  300. (Which was excellent as a first-year archer at his first big match.) We won’t know his placement till later in the week.)

I didn’t want Tigger to feel left out. (He’s not old enough to do the 4H Archery.) So, I told him that we could have a “Date Night” while Daddy and Woody were out of town.  He was okay with it, but not really excited.  I asked him where he thought we should go, and he named his Daddy’s favorite restaurant.  When I suggested to him that we should pick something HE would like to do, his face lit up like the sun.   I suggested things like putt-putt golf, bowling, a movie, and the Lego store.  Well, the Lego store won.

So, Friday I dressed up for my date.  Handsome little Tigger put on a polo shirt and combed his hair so he would be ready.  We drove across town to the mall that has the Lego store and had a ball.  In typical guy fashion, he was not interested in walking around the mall looking at things.  We made a bee-line to the Lego store.  Spent 20-30 minutes looking at all of the many neat Lego kits.  He added at least 20 to his birthday/Christmas/just-because-I-want-it Wish List.  I let him pick out one of the smaller kits and purchased it.  He nearly came out of his skin with excitement.

After the Lego store we decided to look for a place to eat.  As we walked toward the escalator, I saw a candy shop.  I asked if he wanted to go in, and then he was gone.  The expression “kid in a candy store” fit just perfectly.  There were so many things, he was overwhelmed with choices.  Because he seemed bewildered, I suggested that we go have dinner and then return to make our selections.   ~ And the boy who LOVES food could not move fast enough.

Upon our arrival to the food court, I named his choices: Soup, Salad, Taco Bar, Chick-Fil-A, Sonic, Japanese Noodles, or Panda Express.  Surprise – he picked Panda.  1) He loves their Orange Chicken, and 2) He thinks that Kung Fu Panda would approve.

We sat down to eat, and chatted about nothing and everything, as only a 6 year-old with his mom can.  Then I decided to find out his thoughts on a couple of subjects. Boy, let me tell you THAT was an eye opener.

First, I said, “Since this is your first date. What do you think the most important part of a date should be?”

His answer, unsurprisingly “That you get to eat.”

I prodded, “Anything else?”

He said, “Bring money.”

Well, okay then.  I guess he’s made up his mind!

Next I decided to ask him about his future wife.

I said something like “You know someday you might grow up and get married.  What do you think your wife needs to know in order to be married to you?”

He kind of hemmed and hawed, like he wasn’t sure of how to answer.

So I started the sentence for him, “She needs to know ___.”

His response, “my name???”

“Well, yes, son.  It would be a benefit if your wife knew your name.  HA!”

 

I was really thinking that he would answer something like “She needs to know how to cook.” Because this boy is so completely and totally food motivated.  I’ve joked that he’s going to propose to the first girl who comes along and prepares him a meal.  Well, as long as it isn’t scrambled eggs or goulash – he hates those…

Anyway, after recovering from his first answer.  I have a few more bites of dinner, and I continued.

“What else does she need to know?  She needs to know _____.”

He plainly stated, “She needs to know God, and His son Jesus. And she needs to know the Bible.”

My mom smile can’t be controlled at this point. “That’s excellent, Tigger.  I think those are very important things for her to know.  Is there anything else that you think she needs to know?”

He thinks for a minute and then states quite matter-of-factly, “She needs to know how to take care of dogs and kids.”

“Well, okay then.  So, if I got this right, the three most important things your wife needs to know are your name, God, and how to take care of dogs and kids.  Is that it?”

“Yep,” he says polishing off the last of his Orange Chicken.

 

Ah, the simplicity of childhood.

We tidied up our table and started walking back to the candy store.  And then curiosity got the best of me, because I just had to find out about the food thing.

I ask, “So which one of you is going to cook when you get married?  You or her?”

“I don’t know.  We’ll figure it out later.”

Then I say, “Okay.  Well, who’s gonna clean the house?  You or her?”

And the 6 year-old looks up to me and says, “Oh, easy.  The kids will do that.”

 

Now, if you know me, you understand that it was almost painful for me to click on something with a purposeful misspelling – but I did it.  (And lived to tell about it.)  Anyway, what I found was a fantastic idea.

The thought is that frequently husbands and wives have the intention of having date nights but often fail in executing them because they don’t get planned.  Then when the couple does have a free night, they end up having the circular conversation.  I’m sure you know that one I’m talking about.  Hubby and I have had this conversation so many times. Think of the scene with the vultures in “The Jungle Book”:

“What do you want to do?”

“I don’t know. What do you want to do?”

“I don’t know, that’s why I asked you.  What do you want to do?

“I don’t know. What do you want to do?

Continue ad infinitum. And then we end up at the same old place, eating the same old thing.

The basic concept is that the major planning is done as you create the gift.  That way you don’t have to struggle with “what are we going to do?” every month.  I took the original concept and tweaked it so that it would accommodate us, as well as our schedule.  I also told a friend about this back during the planning stages, so we were able to coordinate several double-date nights.  I can’t tell you how excited I am about that.

Here’s a copy of the gift that I gave to Hubby for Christmas.  (No making fun of my poetry skills, or lack thereof.)

January’s date tied into my birthday trip to Galveston.  February’s date had us eating dinner at our favorite pizza place in Fort Worth.  March’s date had us visiting Five Sixty, the restaurant in the ball at the top of the Hyatt Regency Tower.  That’s the place where Hubby and I had our first date.  It was called something else back then, but as we celebrate 8 years of marriage this month, I figure it’s the thought that counts.  Next month, we’ll try out Istanbul Grill.  It’s a place that we’ve heard rave reviews about, and that we’ve wanted to try for quite some time, but always forgot about when we were having the circular conversation.  Now that I’ve added it to the “schedule” I know that we’ll actually go and try it.

So, thanks to some help from a misspelled link, Hubby and I are actually having date nights this year.   You know the old saying, “It is better to give than to receive.”  Well, I think I found the perfect gift because I gave it, but I also get to be a recipient.  If it can inspire you to have a date night, too.  I figure that’s a gift worth sharing.

What if we hadn’t discussed why we thought we needed to find a different church home in recent conversations?

What if we hadn’t taken our kids to Vacation Bible School?

What if we hadn’t adopted them?

What if we had tried other options instead of adoption?

What if we’d decided to be a family of two?

-

But we did decide to be a family of more than two.

We did decide on adoption.

We did decide to adopt these two precious boys.

We did take them to VBS where they learned the ABC’s (admit, believe, & confess).

We did talk about why we thought we needed to find a different church home.

We didn’t do the “usual” veg in front of the television.

-

Instead we talked about God. Again.

We talked about sin.
We talked about death.
We talked about atonement with a sacrifice.
We talked about the Sacrifice that God sent for all mankind.
We talked about God’s son, Jesus.
We talked about the ABC’s.

Admit.      Believe.      Confess.

And then I witnessed my husband lead my darling 8 year-old son in the Sinners Prayer, and I saw him invite Christ into his heart.

And just when I thought it couldn’t get any better.

Moments later, my heart bursting with joy, I witnessed my husband and 8 year-old son lead my 6 year-old in the same prayer.

Angels danced. I cried.

What a way to start 2011!

Can I have some?

(The above was written by said husband with technical prowess. )

Part of our school work this week included reading “Granny Han’s Breakfast”, a wonderful story about trusting God.   During the course of the story, Granny Han’s home is robbed.   So, she is without food, as well as money.   She prays “Lord, this is it!   I really don’t care if I eat or not … you know what you want for me, and that’s all I want.   You promised to supply all my needs – but I can’t pretend breakfast is a need at the moment, as I’m not exactly starving! But Lord, I’m asking you to show Oo-lan (Granny Han’s housekeeper)   that you can provide for me…”   Through out the course of the story, the Lord sends many people to Granny’s home with food and money.   All of her needs and wants are met, and her housekeeper gets to be a front-row witness to it all.

After we read the story, I went through some of the discussion questions:

• Do you trust God to provide for all your needs?
• Can you think of ways that you could help God provide for other people?
• Have you ever prayed for God to supply a need and He did so in a wonderful, unexpected way?

We had fun talking through our answers.   I explained to the boys that God had answered my prayer for children with the two of them – and nothing could be more wonderful or unexpected.   The boys decide that they’ve never really asked for God to supply their need, and they resolve to do so.

—–         —–         —–         —–

Fast-forward to meal time, Tigger says his normal prayer and adds on a line that says: “Please God, I want seven brothers.”   I’m thankful his eyes were closed when he said his prayer because my eyeballs popped out of my head when he said that.   Tigger has been faithful to have the same request, for seven brothers, every time I’ve heard him pray since then.

I figure that Woody counts as one of those brothers, so that means that he’s asking for six more.   Oh, mercy…   We know that God listens to all of his children, but I think that the prayers of little one’s can be especially moving of the Father’s heart.   And frankly, I’m a little worried.

On one hand, it’s hard to believe that it was only three years ago.   On the other hand, it seems so long ago.   As I was remembering the events of that day, I realized how far we have come in three years.   Of course, the boys have grown and learned – but oh my, oh my – I think I am the one who has learned the most.   Like most mothers, I’ve learned about love, forgiveness, how to create a meal out of a can of tomatoes and a jar of peanut butter, and how to survive with a minimal amount of sleep.   But there are so many other things I’ve learned that I didn’t realize would come with motherhood.

I’ve learned that furniture can be rearranged when it is necessary to hide the Sharpie marker scribbles that were made by a certain child on the side of a bookshelf unit.

I’ve learned the names of most of the Marvel comic characters.

I learned the theme songs to “Dora the Explorer”, “The Backyardigans”, “Between the Lions”, “Sid the Science Kid”, and “Martha Speaks.”   I’ve also learned about all of the characters on the shows.

I’ve learned to despise “Caillou” for his whiney voice, “Word Girl” for continually lying to her parents, and “Sid the Science Kid” because Sid’s classmate, Gerald, has to be told 2 or 3 times before he will do what Teacher Suzy instructs him to do.

I’ve learned that if a shirt gets washed with a sticker, chances are, the shirt will never again be the same – even with Goo-Gone.

I’ve learned that pasta, tomato sauce, and meat can be loved or hated – it all depends on the pasta shape.   Long, thin spaghetti noodles called “spaghetti with meat sauce” = good.   Short, stubby elbow macaroni noodles called “goulash” = bad.

I’ve learned that no matter what I say, my boys will always think that farts are funny.   Ditto for belching.

I’ve learned that no matter what I say, my boys constantly have their fingers buried up their noses or laced between their toes. (And let me just say “GRRRRRROOOOOOSSSSSSSS!”

I’ve learned that a boy can walk over/around/on top of something for days on end without ever thinking to stop and pick up or move said item.

I’ve learned that I will struggle and search to find the perfect toy for my beautiful boy, only to have said beautiful boy toss the toy aside and play with the box.

I’ve learned that a snack almost always improves present circumstances.

I’ve learned that a nap can change almost anything.

And I’ve learned that being a Mom is the toughest job I’ve ever had – but I wouldn’t trade it for the world.   I can hardly wait to see what Woody and Tigger are going to teach me next.

My sweet Alvin is gone. I was his Mommy exactly 12 years and 3 days.

He was born August 20, 1997.

He became my beagle baby September 20, 1997.

He left for the Rainbow Bridge September 23, 2009.

He will be missed.

Truth be told, he chose me.   I went to a home with a litter of beagle pups they were wanting to sell.   She had the whole crew out playing in the kitchen so I could see them.   One little guy came over and started playing with my shoe laces, I loved on him and went to go look at the others but he wouldn’t let me.   He pulled on my shoe laces again.   I grabbed a toy to distract him, but in true stubborn-beagle form, he wouldn’t let me go.   He had made his choice, and I just couldn’t argue with his cute adorable face.

Since then, he’s seen me through thick and thin.   He’s loved me no matter what.   He rode shotgun for nearly 2000 miles when I trekked across the country from Seattle back to Texas.   He was with me when I was single and now that I’m married.   He’s heard more of my secrets than any other living being.   He’s been an only dog and he’s been one of three family dogs.   He’s gone on hundreds of walks.   He learned a few commands and will obey them for the most part.   He loves just about anything I cook, and would probably fight to the death for Garlic Mashed Potatoes.   And he’s the best snuggler on the planet.

Tonight, my beagle-boy is spending his second night in the doggie hospital.   He’s hooked up to an IV to help hydrate him and he’s had pain meds to assuage the effects of suspected pancreatitis.     I’m really hoping and praying that he’ll get to come home, but I fear that we might be nearing the end of our time together.

I believe that God answers all prayers, even if He doesn’t give us the answer we want to hear.   So, tonight I’m asking for your prayers.   I am praying that Alvin will be healed.   I’d love for him to be healed here and now, but I’m willing to accept that God will heal him so that he can wait for me at the Rainbow Bridge.   Either way, I’ll take what I can get.   I just want my best friend to get better.