I gotta bottle this stuff and sell it.

Or maybe just store it up for the next few years.

As I was getting ready to go to our friends' house for dinner last night, the Big Boys both declared they were going to help me. Since I was putting on makeup and curling my hair, I wasn't quite sure how they were going to manage that so I asked them what they intended to do. As I stepped outside of the bathroom to check on them, I saw them both sweeping my kitchen floor.

When they said they were going to help me, they really meant it!

Before I Forget

One of the reasons I keep this blog is because I'm horrible at keeping baby books. I just can't seem to get that part of my act together, and now that the Big Boys are 4 and Baby Boy is almost 1 (can you believe it???) there are all kinds of blanks that I'm pretty sure I just couldn't fill in. So often times I look at the archives of this blog as my pseudo-baby book for all three of the boys. In that spirit, there's a story I need to write down before I forget it, because it's one of those that I'll think I'll remember forever, but in reality will probably forget down the road.

Luke took the Big Boys shopping the night before Mother's Day for gifts to give me on Sunday. We'd had a really busy day he dropped off Baby Boy and me on our way home from small group, then took the Big Boys to the store.

When they came back home I was careful to not look at what the boys had in their hands as nothing was wrapped. However, Luke told me that I could look since part of the gift was flowers and they needed to be put into water right away. I was presented with beautiful yellow tulips and yellow and pink gerbera daisies, along with a helium balloon and a box of dark chocolates (my favorite!). While the gifts were very nice, I think my favorite part of the whole night was Luke telling me about shopping with the boys.

He took them to the store, got a grocery cart and put them in. First were the flowers, with each of the boys picking out a bouquet for me (after Luke steered them away from the $70 fuchsia plant). Then Big Boy B saw the balloons and he had to have one. Luke took them through the store, aisle by aisle, with each of the boys holding a bouquet of flowers, Big Boy B holding a balloon and Big Boy A insisting on picking out a box of dark chocolate (because "they're Mama's favorite!"). Up and down each aisle they went, the boys smiling and being extremely pleased with themselves, and suggesting to Daddy, "Let's get that for Mama!" Luke said that the other shoppers in the store all enjoyed the sight as much as he was enjoying being a part of it, smiling and looking at the cute blond boys long after they'd passed each other in the aisles.

When it came time to pick out a card, Big Boy B was utterly convinced that I'd like the birthday card with a 3-D red train that popped out of the middle. ("No Daddy, I know that Mama likes trains!") While they finally settled on a more traditional Mother's Day card, there was some serious negotiation to be done before the boys would agree on a card they both liked.

The boys were so proud of themselves when they returned home; they displayed their gifts to me so generously. And then, not two minutes after they were given, I heard, "Mama, will you open your box so I can have a piece of chocolate?"

Generous hearts they may have, but four-year-olds they still are. I loved my Mother's Day gifts from my boys!

More Firsts

Baby Boy is definitely the third child. Around here we keep track of the usual things... first smile, first tooth, first time pulling up to standing, etc... but we also keep track of a few, um, unorthodox firsts that aren't in most baby books. (Like I'm even pretending to keep a baby book. Hah!)

Among the firsts achieved yesterday are:

First Fall in the Church Nursery

followed closely by

First Black Eye

and

First Bloody Nose.


I also achieved a personal first yesterday; the Big Boys (with some help from Daddy) made me breakfast for Mother's Day. They kept it easy and simple, but there's definitely nothing to complain about toaster waffles, sliced strawberries and coffee for breakfast. Yum!

[Edited to add: I forgot to include this one:

First It's-a-Good-Thing-We're-Not-Getting-Family-Pictures-Taken-Anytime-Soon Facial Scab.]

Sunflowers and Daffodils

Big Boy B has such a generous heart; he's been giving me flowers for about a month now. He's so proud of himself when he does it, too. Often the flower is accompanied by "Here Mama! It's a flower for you!" He'll call them sunflowers or daffodils and the other day as I was looking at one I found myself having difficulty remembering the actual name for these flowers that are so beautiful in the eyes of my son. And honestly, because he thinks they're beautiful, I have come to see them as beautiful as well.

I suppose any gift, given generously and lovingly, is beautiful to us. It makes me think of what God might feel like when we offer Him our heartfelt praise or thanks; while perhaps very ordinary or unspectacular in any other way than our sincerity, that alone makes it a precious gift to our Father.

Nothing to See Here

Or at least, not much to see here. We've been plugging along in our daily life without a whole lot of excitement, with the notable exception of Luke having two weeks' worth of 5 a.m. phone calls conferencing with people from (literally) all over the world.

The chicks (which are closer to chickens now) are enthroned in their new coop and Luke continues to work on the walls of it as he has the time. Today marks the completion of the roof, with the rest of the it going more quickly now that the rain will not pour down on the chickens' heads.

The Big Boys continue to love preschool; I love the art projects that continue to come home with them. Currently we have some green bean plants that were started in small pots that need to be transplanted into a planter box and finger paintings of cherry trees on display.

Baby Boy is Army crawling all over the place. I'm starting to think that he may be one of those kids who never really crawl, but go directly from creeping to walking. Hey... why change things when you find something that works for you?

So, there you go. An update on our lives from the last few weeks. We just keep plugging along over here!