Fun new ways to join me in making a fool of yourself!

Anyone else utterly amazed at the court jester-like activities we're willing to engage in to educate/entertain our children?

Anyone else half expect a hidden camera crew to jump out when you're singing a completely original number about potty, or how cool it is to obey? Someone reflected to me this weekend how motherhood makes poop no longer a topic of taboo. Huh. So true... Funny how the whole pregnancy process itself gets us ready to bare all, suffer all, and do it in the name of love, baby.

So I will invite you into Janel's little world of creative craziness. Actually, only preschoolers and possibly their mothers feel comfortable there. You read all these articles about the wonder of music for kids' brains, you see how it works to help them remember things and laugh and actually do what you ask them to, and you start morphing your personality with, say, The Backyardigans. Suddenly song or rhyme bursts forth (some of you are like, is she for real? If you are asking, the answer is no. If you do it, too, the answer is you bet). You make up songs (okay, I make up songs) about your kids with their very own name and how much God/you love them, about where you're going grocery shopping, and manners. True story: My newest song could justifiably be titled, Don't You Ever Pick Your Nose (period, not question mark! That was the manners talk after the grocery shopping). My kids laugh at this song every time...sometimes the laughter is a little nasally...it rhymes, and thankfully no artist can condemn me on this one for a horrifying cover; the tune is original, too. (If you want the lyrics, you have to post a comment.) Choreography is optional--no, not on the Nose one--but personally I can look like I'm having a seizure or being attacked by a bee, so I tend to do that behind closed doors.

So. Back to the point of this. I have developed new games that my kids (ta-da!) love to play and actually learn character. I love it. Even beats the "Nose" song.

1) The Thankfulness Game. Rules: Take turns finishing the sentence, "I'm thankful for..." That's it. Everybody wants a turn, and we play as long as they're interested. My two-year-old always has the same first answer ("GRANDMA!"), so at least we have someone to get the ball rolling. My kids actually ask to play this a lot--!

2) The Encouragement Game. Rules: Every person picks someone in the room and says something you really like about them, or something great they do/have done. The two-year-old, who drops everything for food: "Mommy, you're a good cooker!"

3) The Things We Like About God Game. Rules: Well, yeah. We take turns saying things we like about God.

4) Say It in Rhythm. Agreeably not really a game, but if I think of a verse that has to do with a current conflict, I try to teach it with a little ditty or setting it to natural rhythm. Yes, I am a musical person (the Nose thing probably gave it away), but there are a lot of verses put to song out there: Steve Green's Hide 'Em in Your Heart CD's, Max Lucado's Hermie Scripture memory CD's, the old G.T. and the Halo Express or even (has anybody heard of this?) Critter County (yeah...those last two you'll have to find on Ebay if you want 'em), songs your children learn if they go to Community Bible Study with you--and that last one sets their verses to plain old children's songs like "The Farmer in the Dell." C'mon. We can do that!

4) As for less spiritual games but great imagination games/time killers, try "Wouldn't it be silly if...?" or "If I were a (fruit/animal/cartoon character/different person/piece of furniture/whatever) for a day, I'd be..."

5) "I wonder if Heaven will have..." Great conversation starter.

6) Let's call them! I am really trying to teach the kiddos phone skills and how to ask people questions about themselves (as opposed to my children only being aware of themselves!) so if they mention a relative, if it's a good time, we try to call them and tell them we were thinking of them, etc. (Did I just let the cat out of the bag, o Loved Ones?)

Okay, I broke the ice--silliness/creative character ideas welcome.

Guess what?!

YEEEEEHAWWWWW!

Meet our latest miracle! We're anticipating a face-to-face meeting sometime before April 28th (another C-section). That makes me about 10 1/2 weeks along! We are super-thrilled, and the boys are, too! God keeps blessing our socks off. :)

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Psalm 127:3

You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, the days of my life all prepared before I'd even lived one day. From Psalm 139, The Message

Introducing...Francis

Okay, this is probably one of my least worthwhile and grossest blogs, but if you came over for dinner, we'd probably show you Francis if you didn't appear overly skittish. Actually, it's been cool to learn about God's creation.

Francis is a 1 1/2" diameter orb-weaving spider. So he (she?) weaves his web every night in the same place (our kitchen window--outside) from 7 to 8, waits in the middle for prey, then tears it down each morning between 6 and 7. Every night he goes around the center some 55 times or so spinning the new one.

Baden's book on this from the library said that spiders have usually 6-8 spinnerets in their back, which hold liquid that turns into silk as it hits the air. The silk's stronger than a steel thread that size, and elastic to nearly twice its size. He's pretty smart; his spot is under the soffit, protected from most wind and sun, and smack dab next to the light where all the bugs like to hang out.

When he catches something, it's actually really cool to see how fast he moves, running over to it, spinning it extremely fast in his silk, and dragging it back to the center. Baden's book also said that spiders don't have teeth, so they inject a poison into an insect to turn the insides to a smoothie. Eeew.

He sleeps the day away in the corner of our trim. Kind of a cool science lesson for us, and a cool chance to show Baden how Satan baits and traps us.

What happened today

Today was a strange, sad day.

At 10 this morning, an administrative assistant at the neighborhood clubhouse around the corner (in between the playground and the pool) was shot five times and killed. Her SUV was stolen. She was thirty.

The elementary school down the street was on lockdown today.

Please pray:
for the comfort of her family and that they would be brought nearer to God; that they would find forgiveness in Christ and forgive as well.
that the killer would be found, brought to justice, and find Christ and forgiveness.
that our neighbors would find peace and safety in Christ, and that all around Otter Creek Christians would make the most of every opportunity.

Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain.

Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.

Psalm 127:1

WWF = gratitude

I am cleaning up dinner right now, and these little nuggets are floating into the kitchen from the nightly wrestling session in the living room.

"Dad, can I touch your eyeball?"

"Oh, gross! Dude, that stinks! Don't do that by my head!"

"ARRRGGGGHHH!" "UUGGGGGHHHH!" (My husband: A muffled "Unnnnnnh.") "Heeeeee-YAH!" "Unnnnh."

"I'm gonna make you WALK THE PLANK!"

"Watch out for your sister..."

"You're stepping on my head!"

"OWWWW! Mom! He hit me with his sword!"

I mean, aren't you thankful for Dad?

Hugs for Grandma and Grandpa

I confess I got this idea from Parents magazine--and I think Grandpa John and Grandma Lori are going to love 'em. I just traced their arms and a big heart on butcher paper, then they painted them and we put their photos on them. The kids had a lot of fun!

Latest family pics

One of our boys' love languages: Wrestling!

Krispy Kremes (and hats) from Daddy on the morning of his trip to Tulsa!




John does so well at setting a playful atmosphere in our home,

and it's even more obvious when he's gone!






Daddy and Corinne...I love this picture.