The Way We Roll

This past Sunday, we all went bowling with a few friends from church.  The first time for the kids, and thankfully, we were in the glow-in-the-dark lanes.  They are separate from the rest of the bowling alley and we did not have to worry about keeping up with the them as much.  That is a good thing!  

We all had a pretty good time! Princess really got into it, Hotrod...he could take it or leave it.

Princess: "ooohhh! look at all those pretty white things!"

Momma: "Hotrod! Get back into our lane!"

Ok, forgive my less mature side, but this picture has  so much potential!!! My more mature side is keeping me from saying much!!!

Although it is really cute of Matt giving Princess instructions on how to bowl.

"Oh yeah!  I did that!"

"Look, Daddy!"

I did not realize that they made such cute bowling shoes!!

Hey, Hotrod is finally getting into it!

"Whatever! If it makes it, it makes it."

"Is it going to hit???"

"YES!!!"

I wish I could say that there was a glitch in the computer...but, I am just that bad at bowling.

"Ok, baby! Roll the ball!"

Maybe I shouldn't be the one to give her lessons...

UUUMMMMM....My daughter won....

So precious!

"Momma! I gawo in the dark!"

Good times!

My Second Skin...

     That is what Mom used to call me.  It would bristle me and give me pride at the same time.  I tend to understand it better these days, as my little Princess is coming into her true nature.
     Shall I give you a few examples? 
     You should see how she gathers her books, one by one, into a straight stack before picking them up to put them away.
     She has taken to tucking in her four animals at night on her pillow.  They are laid out in a straight line across her pillow, with her blanket tucked under their chins, perfectly...she is at the other end of the bed, tucked under the other end of the blanket, arranged perfectly, of course.
     She has the same passion inside of her...how do I know?  Her temper matches mine.  She knows better than to lash out at me, so she stomps as hard as her little body will let her, gnashes her teeth, and screams...not joking.  Her eyes flash as mine do when she is angry.
     She insists on doing it herself...no matter the pain and strife it causes her.  Although, on this one, she is already beyond me.  She knows when to let go and ask for help.
     Thirty minutes will go by and all is quiet. That is when I find her snuggled up with her many books.  Content to sit and look.
     Her face is in the dictionary under the word, "stubborn"...right next to mine.

     Oh my little girl, my hope and prayer for her is that it will not take a lifetime to come into control of her weaknesses/strong points, for they are one in the same.  

OH NO!!!! IT HAPPENED!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WHAT???? This is what you are thinking and I promise it will be huge.  Ok, maybe just in my world.

Today we spent an hour or so at a friend's home.  I was helping with blog stuff and the kids were playing.

Princess and H came out with Princess dresses, crowns, shoes...the works. We dressed the girls and off they went...I didn't think thing about it... I should have.

This was Princess's first time in an actual "Princess" outfit.  She is just getting into the "princess" stuff.  She calls herself a Princess when she puts on a dress and then twirls around.

Now you have to understand, I am not a girly girl.  I do love girl things, but was never into Barbie, etc.  Give me jeans, a book, and time to play outside and I was a happy girl, still am.  I am just now starting to put bows and flowers into my little girl's hair...I am working into it. 

Heaven help my mother when she tried to put dresses on me...even if it was for Sunday!!

Apparently, my little Princess is truly a Princess girl.  When it was time to go, I called her in.  She had on her crown, glass slippers, necklace, dress and sword (?).  I began the process of taking everything off.

WOW!!!! ROYAL FIT!!!!!! FIT FOR THE QUEEN!!!!

Let's just say, I took her out of the house and into the car, screaming. Top of the lungs, screaming. She screamed for the next ten minutes...not joking!!!  It was a long drive.

I guess I will be looking for princess dresses from now on?!?!?!?! Oh my, can I handle all the pink?  I don't know! 

Anyone want to donate a few??? ;)

Training...

     There are things that you just can't understand until you go through them...even then, it is sometimes hind sight.  I am always amazed at the way my understanding of Scripture changes as my life changes.
     Take Psalm, as a teen, I was just starting to glimpse what it was all about! Now, it is my go to in any situation.  You can find verses for all of your moments!!! Amazing!

                     "Train up a child in the way he should go, And even

                         when he is old he will not depart from it ."

Prov. 22:6

     I never fully grasped what that meant...until now (and still learning).  If you are an athlete of any kind you know that training is hard...rewarding, but hard. You have to be vigilant in your training in order to see any type of results.  It is sometimes months before you can see any progress and that is very frustrating! You can not give up the fight or you will not win.
     The same is true for training up children.  I am by far a "perfect parent", in fact, I have yet to meet one.  Even those that seem to have it together...hehe...yeah, no they don't! 
     Simple things like, not eating the cat food.  It takes vigilant training to get them to understand the concept! Hotrod...one week of training and he didn't touch it again. Princess...two months of everyday telling her "no", popping her little hand, and picking the cat food back up.  Then one day, she never touched it again.     
             Training...vigilance...FRUSTRATION!!!...reward.
     It is hard to train children, but the reward is great.  It is funny to watch other parents train their children...only because, at that moment, it is not your child!  You know that in five minutes it will be your child!!!
     One last thought. You are wrong if you think the training is just for the kids.  How God humbles us and shows us Himself while we are training our little ones.  Unfortunately, we get a glimpse of our true self in our children...it is not pretty!  It makes me so much more thankful for my salvation and truly shows me how wretched I really am!!!  Knowing how I love my children, in all their imperfections, only shows me how much my Heavenly Father must love me in all my imperfection!!!
My overwhelming thought for today. :)

What happens when a former Biology teacher becomes a Kindergarten teacher...

Here was the conversation I had with Hotrod this afternoon...
Hotrod: "mommy, how long have I been alive on this earth?"

ummm...I wonder what is coming?

Mommy: "five and a half years"
Hotrod: "Was I a baby?"

?????

Mommy: "yes."
Hotrod: "Do I have baby pictures?"
 
Mommy: "yes."
Hotrod: "Are they in a baby book?"

now is not the time to start explaining my failures as a parent to him...

Mommy: "ummmm....they are on the computer!"
Hotrod: "can I see them?

Mommy: "sure"
Hotrod: "was I born with eyes??"

Mommy: " of course, you were born with eyes! all babies are born with eyes!"
Hotrod: "No they are not! Marsupial babies aren't born with eyes!"

....here is where I just stared at him....and stared...I just got checked by a five yr old using the word "marsupial".

Mommy: "Actually, they do have eyes, but they are not developed yet."

I am raising a geek...a nerd...a very cute little nerd! :)

Why we went to SD/ND this summer!!!

Back in June, as you know, we traveled to SD/ND as a family. Why? To see Matt's cousin, Angie, get married!  It was a beautiful wedding and the reception was so much fun!

Thankfully, it was at the hotel that we were staying in, so we were able to take the kids upstairs for an hour or so until the festivities got started.  A good time was had by all!

My beautiful girl!

How do you pass the time? Pump them full of sugar!! Make sure they are ready to go later on!!

Matt's Grandma Helen and Grandpa Charlie...A beautiful picture of them!

Wait!  There they are!! Adam and Angie!!

Can you get a cuter couple??? Matt's brother, Jake, and his wife, Sabrina.

And of course, Matt's beautiful sister, Josie.  Aunt Jo!

Really? Is it smart to give your child sugar and knives??? What were we thinking??

Matt, are you sure this is proper wedding protocol??? No one else is doing it!

Sabrina, I would never lead you astray...

"To you, I pay homage...Oh, great and wise one."

Why, thanks, Jake!

Ah, yes, the ever suave Ben...Josie's husband! And his trusty sidekick!

Their first dance. Woohoo! Now we can all get on the dance floor!

Princess found a friend to dance with and danced till she laid down on the dance floor, exhausted...no kidding!

Hotrod was finally convinced to dance with his cousin. There was quite the drama over this problem! :) He relented and danced his cousin silly!!!

Had no idea my son could dance as well as he could!! All that practice at home paid off. :)

Congrats Adam and Angie!!!

An Invitation from the Queen...

Three things are needed for all tea parties:

1) The guests

2) The spread

3) Interesting conversation

We, of course, had all three!

Princess donned her best hat.

We were lucky to have Hotrod grace us with his presence.

And, as you can see, extra care was taken in food preparation.

All rules of etiquette were strictly followed...for a time. :)

Once again, we were lucky to have Hotrod in attendance.

Can I pour you some tea??

A true lady nibbles at her food.

While a man...

No one is watching!!!

Why must I endure this? And why is my sister wearing two different shoes??

Whew! Nothing like good tea on a hot, sultry day!

My hostess gift. :)

Entertainment was provided.

And all wishes were granted.