Sayings

Sometimes I forget that my kids are not as old as they pretend to be and do not quite understand "sayings." For example...

Abby: "Can I please have a snack before bedtime?"
Me: "No, because you had snacks left and right at the softball game tonight."
Abby: "Was the popcorn on the left and the pretzels on the right?"

Home Sweet Home

Have you ever noticed that the home you might seem discontent with is suddenly so wonderful when you have been away for awhile? We got home from vacation last night around 11:00 p.m. and I was so happy to step inside our house. The thoughts of what I want to change about it or the fact that we have it on the market to sell never crossed my mind. All I thought about was how grateful I was to relax and be settled.

The kids felt the same gratitude and expressed it in the following ways...
Caleb walked into the house and yelled, "Abby's house!"
Abby ran inside and into every corner of the downstairs yelling, "It's my light! It's my drumset! It's my toys!"
Then they both sat down and started building a tower with blocks, pretty much right in the middle of the living room where we were trying to walk and put down luggage.

I love that my kids are happy to be home. They had a great time on vacation, but I could tell by the end, they were ready for their own beds and the place where they felt the most safe. I felt the same way. I know this house is temporary and so are all the items inside, but there is something comfortable about being here. I have to remind myself of this every time I feel discontent about the little things.

A Little Bravery

My daughter never ceases to surprise me. We were walking through an outdoor shopping area this evening when Abby spotted a trampoline place for kids her age. I immediately thought she would keep on walking because it looked scary, but she begged to go on it. She watched other kids jump, saw them get harnessed in, and still wanted to go. We paid the money, took her to the guy in charge, and she suited up. All of the sudden, panic took over and she was afraid to jump. I had a feeling that would happen, but I was still so proud of her for trying it out. The picture posted is when she was still feeling brave and getting her harness on.

Happy Thoughts

When I worked on the permanent staff at Camp Lambec, my best friend/roommate Lisa always told me to have happy thoughts before falling asleep. It became a tradition for us that I have passed on to college roommates and youth group students. Two nights ago, Abby had a terrible night of sleep, having bad dreams that caused her to toss and turn. So, last night, I decided to past on the tradition of sharing happy thoughts before heading off to sleep.

We went out on the balcony, away from the insane volume of our family, and just sat and talked about things that made us happy. She listed her many thoughts, namely recent things of this week, like Uncle Tony's house, the beach, ice cream...but, also the typical things like her house, her toys, and going to Grammy's house. Needless to say, she slept great. The kids even slept in until 8:00 a.m. (trust me, that is wonderful to us).

It has been a great reminder to me to think such thoughts before falling asleep. Nick and I try to keep the "not going to bed angry" policy, but have failed from time to time (pretty much because we are both stubborn people). I always notice a difference in my sleep and bad dreams on those nights. If I have a lot of tasks ahead of me the next day or had just finished an exhausting day, I usually do not sleep well. Perhaps if I just took those few minutes before falling asleep to be thankful to God, I would notice a change in my sleep and my attitude the following day.

Leading me to the huge reminder of spending quiet time with God. This week has been a challenge because it always seems there is no where to go to have that precious time. When it was just Nick and myself on vacation, I still found time to be quiet and rest in God's presence. With kids it is a little different. Even when they are napping, it is in our room. It is just part of vacation and I have seen God at work in so many other things that I am always learning. But, I also notice a change in my attitude when that time is lacking. Even Jesus took time to pray and be alone, especially right before and right after performing miracles. Why is it easier to avoid quiet time, thinking we do not have time, when it is clearly so beneficial to every part of our being?

I would like to note that tonight, after Abby put on her pajamas and had her hair combed, she went to the balcony door and said, "Come on, Mommy! It's time to sit and talk about our happy day."

My Little German Children

With our ancestry names being Rosenfeldt, Loesch, Feist, and Herrmann, we are clearly a German family. So, while Nick's grandparents are visiting us at the beach, they took us out to eat at Horst Gasthaus, a German restaurant (obviously).

The food was great and it reminded me of any get together with my family. The smell of the food brought back memories and I could almost hear my family conversations running through my head.

While we ate dinner, we had live music. We were expecting Nick's dad to put on his ladenhosen and dance around for us (watch National Lampoon's European Vacation if you are not getting the reference), but sadly he decided against it for tonight. However, the musicians had the kids get involved. Abby went up front with a few other German children in the crowd, to clap her hands and get a prize. Then they spoke into the microphone their name and where they were from. Little Abby spoke clear as could be, "I'm Abby and I'm from Cincinnati."

The night got better when they called any children up again to sing "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and Abby quickly volunteered, pretty much because she wanted to win another prize. She stood at the microphone and sang the song with all her might, just to win a second, plastic toy.

Caleb had to get involved. First, he laughed and clapped from his highchair. Then he held a tambourine the band loaned him and found many ways to entertain himself with that. Finally, he walked up to the stage (while his mom and dad were trying in vain to eat a few bites of their dinner) and started looking for prizes.

All in all, it was a fun night for the kids and adults alike. Thank you Great Grandpa and Great Grandma for a memorable dinner.

The Joke of the Week

Abby's favorite joke of the week:

"I can pick my nose. I can pick my friends. But, I can't pick my friend's nose!"

Thank you Aunt Amy for your wise instruction in my daughter's life :)

The Task Before Us

Abby found a new favorite thing to do. She runs around on the beach, picking up seashells and throwing them back into the ocean. She finds this task very important and does it with all her strength. It does not matter that the seashells immediately wash up in the waves she is throwing them into. She is only doing the work that she thinks she needs to do.

While this was great fun to watch, particularly for me because she was entertaining herself, it was also a fun little lesson. Sometimes we do not see the fruit of our work, but we continue to do it anyway because we are commanded to. It may seem everything we are doing is pointless, but there is a purpose behind it all. Those seashells may have come right back to the beach, but perhaps where they landed was right for another child to find who would take them as a treasure.

I long for Heaven when we get to see the big picture of all the little things we do daily.