An Ethanism from yesterday, heard while driving home from Thanksgiving dinner: "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Another baby was born! Yay! In 16 seconds something bad (a person dies) will happen, but two babies will be born!"
Totally random.
Totally Ethan.
Friday, November 29, 2013
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Thanksgiving Thoughts
I am thankful for: God...my husband...my three children...my parents and in-laws...my sisters and their husbands...my brothers-in-law and their wives...my two nephews and one niece...my full-time job as a wife/mom/teacher and my part-time job as a journalist...my plethora of furry family members......a warm, dry house filled with love...sunny days and rainy days...the changing of the seasons, especially autumn and all of its colors...all the yummy food we enjoy...memories -- good and bad...the ability to laugh and cry and smile and frown and feel the emotions of life...tastebuds...coffee and chocolate and caramel...books that absorb me...television characters that make me love them...curiosity and the Internet that helps me to satisfy it...ballet and soccer and fencing and the eyesight to enjoy each...
So much to be thankful for!
"Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your blessings, see what God hath done. Count your blessings, count them every one. Count your many blessings, see what God hath done."
~Johnson Oatman Jr., 1897
So much to be thankful for!
Happy Thanksgiving!
"Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your blessings, see what God hath done. Count your blessings, count them every one. Count your many blessings, see what God hath done."
~Johnson Oatman Jr., 1897
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Three-Year-Old Lawyers
My hubby and I were talking about children the other day. (It's a popular topic for us, given the fact that we have three of them.)
We discussed how people warned us about two-year-olds and the "Terrible Twos," trembling like they'd survived a horrific zombie attack and lived to tell the tales.
We laughed the first time, when our oldest was about 14 months old. "Riiiight," we said to each other because we'd subscribed to the notion that the "twos" would be "terrific."
And they were.
Then came three.
It's not that our sweet, adorable, angel-faced daughter sudden turned demonic. Not in the slightest. She just learned to talk.
And with talking came curiosity.
And with curiosity came questioning.
And then...came...arguing.
Now, arguing, in and of itself, is not a bad thing. Depending on how it's done, a person can learn a lot of good things, most importantly maturity and humility.
But when you're three and your language and thinking skills are still developing, those aren't the first things you're going to learn. In fact, you probably aren't going to learn much, except how to drive your parents batty, which, for the record, will come in really handy when they're future lawyers.
Now, 13, 9, and 2 years later (respectively), our little lawyers are still going at it. They're very curious and love to question things. And they still love to argue. (No one plans a career in law.)
But we, their parents, have learned a few things along the way.
Sometimes, when the arguing starts to get to us, we just smile.
One day, they'll have their own three-year-old lawyers.
How did you survive the toddler/preschool years with your little ones?
We discussed how people warned us about two-year-olds and the "Terrible Twos," trembling like they'd survived a horrific zombie attack and lived to tell the tales.
We laughed the first time, when our oldest was about 14 months old. "Riiiight," we said to each other because we'd subscribed to the notion that the "twos" would be "terrific."
And they were.
Then came three.
It's not that our sweet, adorable, angel-faced daughter sudden turned demonic. Not in the slightest. She just learned to talk.
And with talking came curiosity.
And with curiosity came questioning.
And then...came...arguing.
Now, arguing, in and of itself, is not a bad thing. Depending on how it's done, a person can learn a lot of good things, most importantly maturity and humility.
But when you're three and your language and thinking skills are still developing, those aren't the first things you're going to learn. In fact, you probably aren't going to learn much, except how to drive your parents batty, which, for the record, will come in really handy when they're future lawyers.
Now, 13, 9, and 2 years later (respectively), our little lawyers are still going at it. They're very curious and love to question things. And they still love to argue. (No one plans a career in law.)
But we, their parents, have learned a few things along the way.
Sometimes, when the arguing starts to get to us, we just smile.
One day, they'll have their own three-year-old lawyers.
* * *
How did you survive the toddler/preschool years with your little ones?
A Non-excuse, Excusing My Absence, or I'm Back...I Hope
So, it has been quite awhile since I dusted off the keyboard and posted on my beloved blog, and SO much has happened. In our lives. In our world. And...in blogdom.
Wow!
To say that I feel overwhelmed doesn't even begin to explain anything except for why I've not been here for a LOOOONG time. When I came to the blog world in 2006, not many people even knew what a blog was. I felt myself blushing each time I explained. I'd resisted creating a blog, just as I had resisted joining Facebook, because both felt a bit like a vanity project. But it became an awesome way to get myself writing again...and a great way to keep track of our growing family...and a wonderful way to keep in touch with family and friends overseas.
Fast-forward seven years and everyone -- and I mean EVERYONE -- and his uncle and his dog has a blog. Even our "beloved" gas company keeps a blog. I interviewed a man at Penske and he was hired for the express purpose of keeping the company's blog and Twitter feed.
Wow!
I've found a ton of parenting and homeschooling blogs that I enjoy reading. And even a few from past friends/acquaintances. Now it makes my little vanity project feel small and insignificant, which it is in the big scheme of things. And it's intimidating.
Yet, here I am, dusting off my keyboard (again) and starting up my blog (again). I'm only one of millions doing this. But I'm doing it to keep my mind uncluttered (as I reminded myself in my motto above) and I'm keeping a record for the kids...and I merely love to write.
Why not?
So no apologies...well, just one: Sorry it's taken so long for me to realize this. And no excuses. Okay...just one: How do I compare to all of these others, including the "professional" bloggers out there???
Simple. I don't.
I continue as I was before...keeping track of life and love and thoughts and fun and sadness and all the things that crowd in my head and keep me awake at 4 a.m.
Welcome back to you, lovely friends and readers. I've missed you!
Wow!
To say that I feel overwhelmed doesn't even begin to explain anything except for why I've not been here for a LOOOONG time. When I came to the blog world in 2006, not many people even knew what a blog was. I felt myself blushing each time I explained. I'd resisted creating a blog, just as I had resisted joining Facebook, because both felt a bit like a vanity project. But it became an awesome way to get myself writing again...and a great way to keep track of our growing family...and a wonderful way to keep in touch with family and friends overseas.
Fast-forward seven years and everyone -- and I mean EVERYONE -- and his uncle and his dog has a blog. Even our "beloved" gas company keeps a blog. I interviewed a man at Penske and he was hired for the express purpose of keeping the company's blog and Twitter feed.
Wow!
I've found a ton of parenting and homeschooling blogs that I enjoy reading. And even a few from past friends/acquaintances. Now it makes my little vanity project feel small and insignificant, which it is in the big scheme of things. And it's intimidating.
Yet, here I am, dusting off my keyboard (again) and starting up my blog (again). I'm only one of millions doing this. But I'm doing it to keep my mind uncluttered (as I reminded myself in my motto above) and I'm keeping a record for the kids...and I merely love to write.
Why not?
So no apologies...well, just one: Sorry it's taken so long for me to realize this. And no excuses. Okay...just one: How do I compare to all of these others, including the "professional" bloggers out there???
Simple. I don't.
I continue as I was before...keeping track of life and love and thoughts and fun and sadness and all the things that crowd in my head and keep me awake at 4 a.m.
Welcome back to you, lovely friends and readers. I've missed you!
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