Lunchtime Laughter

Yesterday at lunch, in the span of five minutes, I had these two converstions:

Luke: "Mom, so, did you live like the Pilgrims did?  You know, churning butter and making all your own stuff?"
Me: "Umm...how old do you think I am?  Go ask Grandma and Papa that question.  They're way older than I am." :)

And then,

Eli: "Mom!  You're a cow!  You have milk in your body!" (With a pointed glance at my chest area.)
Me: Speechless

Eli is Six!

I didn't forget Eli's birthday, and it was much celebrated.  We've just been busy.  I catch up with all the details eventually, but I wanted to celebrate my sweet six year old and give him his moment in the spotlight.

(Eli showing off the Lego set he put together, purchased with his birthday money from Grandmama and Grandaddy)

I haven't figured out lots of things about my boys yet, but one thing I know for certain is that Eli's love language is physical touch.  Eli loves to have his back scratched, his belly rubbed, his face caressed, his feet massaged, his hiney patted...he loves to be touched.  And he will audibly sigh when you snuggle on the couch or bed with him and you wrap your bodies around each other.  There's not a day that goes by that he doesn't say, "Mama, come snuggle me!"  My love language is probably as far from physical touch as it can get, but I can't resist his soft skin, sweet smile and desire just to be affectionate with his Mama.  And it doesn't have to be Mama.  Yesterday, he and Judah rolled around on the floor for hours throughout the rainy afternoon.  Judah just wanted to be rough, and Eli just enjoyed the physical contact.

Eli knows how to entertain himself.  He can be found playing in his room, pulling out all the toys to play with them one by one or to build with Legos or Trios.  He doesn't need a playmate, even though he is totally a people lover and prefers a friend.  He is happiest when there are friends over to run around with or to come up with fun ideas of things to do.  He loves to be outside, but he's not a fan of going outside by himself.  That feels like punishment (and if I'm being completely honest, with three boys, it often is).

Eli still doesn't love school, even though he excels in every subject and gets along well with all his classmates.  His teacher feels like he is a gift to her classroom with his cooperative nature and desire to work hard and do well.  I think he just is a little (a lot!) like his Daddy and prefers home and family.  Okay, so he's a lot like his Mama that way too.

My Eli, you delight my heart.  Just thinking about all the ways I love you brings happy tears to my eyes.  You light up my every day with your sunny disposition and laid back personality.  Know that you are exactly who your daddy and I love for you to be.  Don't ever be afraid to try something new or challenging because just watching you step out and be brave pleases us so much, no matter if you do it perfectly the first time or not.  Thank you for telling me jokes, wrestling with your brothers, loving our home and for being my sweet snuggle buddy.  I love you!

A Day at the Beach

Kris got a new iphone, and he is officially as bad as those people on the commercial.  Just kidding, but he is having fun.

 

Mom, click on the box at the bottom right corner to expand the screen for a bigger view. :)

So Shines the Night by Tracy Higley

Once I find an author I like, I read everything I can find by them until I have to move on to a new author or wait for them to come out with a new book.  I was very excited when I read and loved the book So Shines the Night by Tracy Higley because now I have a new author's books to devour.

So Shines the Night is set in Bible times in Ephesus, after Jesus has walked the earth.  While it is a fictional novel, much of the story is based on biblical writings, the writings of Ephesians.  The main character, Daria, is an educated widow, trying to find a way to support herself using that education and her intellect.  She faces, not only the challenge of the time period when women were not respected or honored in educational settings, but also the intense darkness that followed her from the last city she fled.

The characters in this book were intense and intriguing, the setting was fascinating, and the story itself drew me in.  I love the time period when much of the New Testament was written and I really liked the fact that Higley elaborated on the scriptures in Ephesians to write the story.  It gave me a much greater context for what life in that time was like, the culture and what the Ephesian church was facing.  The way she portrayed Paul, Timothy, Pricilla and Aquilla and several others helped me to understand better many of the things Paul wrote to the Ephesians.

I have already finished another of Higley's books, Pompeii, and I fully intend to find more of them at my library.  I highly recommend her books.

I was provided a copy of So Shines the Night by Booksneeze.  My opinions are all my own.

A Day In the Life

"What have you been up to lately?" I get asked that question a lot.  

"What did you do today?"  I get asked that question a lot by my husband. (Yes, I love it as much as you do.)  

Well, the answer to both those questions is this: 

Keeping up with this kid.  

Looks sweet and innocent, right?  He is, he is. What he is not, is ready to be left unattended for more than five seconds.  I know this, and I still forget that he is not as trustworthy yet as his big brothers.  Today, I made phone calls to two different companies to determine if the pills he had climbed to the very top shelf to get into would kill him or just make me have a panic attack.  Both of them were just herbal, so all was well after he threw up into the trash can.  He didn't have enough intestinal distress for my liking.  I was kind of hoping it would at least make him miserable enough for him to learn a lesson, but I almost think he thought it was fun.  Sigh.

After my shower, I came out to find that my sweet youngest had decided to help Mama cook. He was so very proud of himself. (Notice the hands on his hips.)

I started the potatoes for him before I left for my shower and he added his imaginative touch.  I had planned on using the mushrooms, just not in that exact way.

Really, who needs adult help for things like knives and getting things out of high cabinets?

 In the end, the only damage done was the mess on the floor and the liquid I had to drain off the potatoes.  I'm 99% sure it was just olive oil.  They tasted okay anyway.  

Whew!  I'm going to bed!

I've posted before that Luke and Eli often end up in strange positions while they're sleeping. Last night did not disappoint.  Kris said he went in there because he heard someone pass gas so loud he thought they were still awake.  I shudder to think which one of them did the passing...

We all got a great laugh out of this when Kris showed us the pictures this morning.  Even Eli.  While Luke and I would have both been embarrassed, Eli's always up for being the butt of a great joke.  (Sorry, I couldn't help myself.)

Happy Wednesday!

A True Saying

 "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."

 Lao-tzu

Let the laundry folding begin...Again.