Being 3 can be tough!

This little boy can be both highly amusing and annoying. And sometimes he can be both at the same time. He has developed a very loud, piercing scream that he likes to use in the car and out and about at stores and restaurants. It's fun. If I had a digital video camera instead of our archaic one, I would share a little sample of it with you. I just need to remember that he will outgrow this current defiance and short temper. Right? I do want to share some of Zachary Eli's more amusing moments too.

• He likes to chant this in the car, "Hey, hey what's that sound? Michigan State is in the ground!" That one is for you two Brenda & Patti. :)
• He starts most stories with, "Once upon a time ..." And most of what follows could never be considered either a fairy tale, or even a good story. Like the other day he said, "Once upon a time --- Zoey had diarrhea and you had to clean the toilet." Beautiful Zach!
• He made his preschool teacher lift him up to my car window to get a goodbye kiss from me (on the lips of course) when I dropped him off in the carpool line in front of his entire class. Do you think he'll still do this when I drop him off at his high school? ;)
• And this last one shows just how much I enable my little boy. He stands at the toilet and waits for me to lift the lid and pull down his pants before he goes. I must really love this kid.

What I'm Thankful For by Paige

The thing that I'm most thankful for is my family because my brother and sister play with me and my parents care for me. Also I'm thankful for my family because they do the best for me. Zoey is usually always there because she is almost everywhere I go. (NICE!) Zach is the one that makes my life crazy. (MINE TOO!) Mom and Dad are always taking me to cool stuff. That's what I am thankful for most.

Paige just asked me if she was a "fashion girl" after a friend told her that her boots were fake Uggs (like I'm going to spend $100 on boots she is going to outgrow in a year ---please little girlie. And we weren't trying to get fake Uggs because ... proving just how fashionable we truly are ... we didn't even know what Uggs were! LOL!) I answered Paige's question by saying, "No, not really but either am I." She said she was glad that she didn't care about always having to wear the latest trends and styles. (I hope she keeps this kind of self-confidence as she grows older.) She obviously has adopted my shopping style. If you can't buy a bag of potato chips in the next aisle over, forget about ever getting new clothes! :) Cheers to Costco & Target.

Oh My

Since today I am now half-way to 70 --- oh my --- we had a FFD. (Yes, we created this title last night for our Family Fun Day.) We went to the Children's Museum, Yesterdog, and saw 'Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium.' It's all about me today as you can see! Motherhood redefines how you celebrate your birthday.

I had to renew my license and get an eye exam since I am getting so old :) and I've decided that the Secretary of State's office is one of the last places that can be considered "A Great Equalizer". It doesn't matter how old you are, what race you are, how rich or poor you are, how many kids you have & drag in there with you ... everybody, yes everybody has to go in there to either get a license plate or renew their driver's license. You can't hire someone to do it for you. There is no contracting out this job. You have to show up (with the rest of the city), take a number, wait in line, take a test, and cough up some cash, check, or Discover card. (Seriously, who has a Discover card?) I found this "equalizer" rather refreshing. But maybe that's because I got there early and only had to wait 10 minutes. (And the people watching was very entertaining as I tried to figure out who was with who and how that lady managed to feed her baby a bottle while she took her driver's test.)

My college roomate Amy gets some major friend points for mailing me a card from Washington state and having it arrive on my birthday. You have now done what my mother has never been able to do! :)

Quotable

Paige in one of my dresses and Zoey in Daddy's suit coat dancing together.

Last weekend when I tried on my fancy dress, the girls were way into it. So I asked Paige if I should wear my "suck you in" underwear to which she responded with, "Well Mom, your feet are already going to be uncomfortable in those shoes. Do you really want your stomach to be too?"

Good point Paige. Good point.

Mr. Sparty

There is a man at church who I will just call "Sparty" in order to maintain his anonymity. Sparty is a typical MSU fan; happy when his team wins, thrilled when Michigan loses. Mr. Sparty was very loosed lipped after the first two games that Michigan lost but has been avoiding us at church ever since. Curious huh? :) After last's week big game where Michigan once again won, we said nothing to him, his wife, or his children who are little Sparty Juniors. (He is the type of guy that even when you give a hard time, it's not very satasifying. Like when we teased him a few weeks ago about MSU losing he replied, "Oh, I don't care about football. I'm waiting for the basketball and hockey season. How is Michigan in basketball and hockey?") Ugh, walk away from Sparty. Well, he hunted us down yesterday and gave us a little crap to which I smartly followed my own advice and walked away from Sparty.

And one more thing, how come the most avid sports fans look like they haven't ever played a team sport in their life? I'm just saying ...

Adults Play Dress Up Too

This post is for Patti (dear neighbor who came over for a sneak peek and her husband Scott who loaned Jeff some dress socks), Julie (my manicurist/sister), Sarah (best friend who let me borrow the jewelry), and Jeff's brother Steve who hooked him up with the suit. (Steve was amazed that Jeff has made it into his mid 30's without ever owning a suit. But hey, when you're in the medical field, you interview in scrubs!:) I believe everyone is more excited about the "gala" we are going to than we are! Now if I don't sprain my ankle in my sexy little shoes ... I should be good to go!

Really Random

O.K. I am going to go from kids accepting Christ to these random thoughts. I yam what I yam.

• I had a dream last night about laundry. Can you say "pathetic"? Now my dream life is as boring as my real life.
• How come when a man wins at cards he is skilled but if someone else does it's all because they got the right cards?
• We are going to an art exhibit opening this weekend where the invite read, "Black tie optional, ball gowns preferred, pretty hair expected." Let me just say it again, I am what I am. I guess my 'am' is going to have to step it up a bit.
• I realized this week that I am conservative. Especially when I realized that I was calling the Grand Rapids Press a.k.a The Daily Christian Press too liberal.
• I need to get on the treadmill (time to pump my fists to the 'Eye of the Tiger' that can only be heard in my head) so that's all for now. Have a great weekend.

A wage vs. a gift

On Sunday, I got the privelege of teaching my 2nd and 3rd grade Sunday school kids about how God loves them so much he sent His son Jesus to die on the cross to take the punishment for our sins. I love to teach these kids and usually feel pretty confident and prepared each week. However, knowing what I was going to teach this week I had a nervous anticipation and prayed that God would lead the kids to open their hearts to him and choose Him as their forever friend. We got into a great discussion about the difference between a wage and gift. Interestingly, they really didn't know what the word "wage" meant. (Ahhh, to not know about working for money. To be a kid again!) After we talked about it for awhile, they understood that you earn a wage but Christ came as a gift. An undeserved, unearned, freely-given, amazing gift. My prayer (and my friends at Bible Study were praying too) was that God would do the leading and if the kids asked Jesus to be their Savior --- great. If not, they could take some time to think about it and choose when they were ready. Nine kids responded and asked Jesus in their heart. Awesome. Way to go God!

Your Opinon Please

If your child keeps coming in your bed every night but always crawls in on the same spouse's side; who is responsible for bringing that child back to his/her own bed?

Man Rules

#1 Man Rule: If you help out around the house all day, you can watch the entire U of M game guilt free and uninterrupted.

How do I know about these man rules? Today my husband has emptied and filled the dishwasher, vacuumed the house, picked up the leaves, and washed my van ALL without being asked. Enjoy the game hon, you earned it! :)

Go Blue!

And to Mr. Mario Manningham with your gravity-defying, game-winning, touch down catch ... I raise my glass --- of Diet Coke. :)

Another Place by Paige Guikema, age 8

Glimmering snow at a tippy top of a moutin. Pinetrees glissen with doo when the ice rink is so slippery you could fall with one step. Blue and white mountins everywhere some in the distence and some not. Craving a snowy cave I find a littel fawn prancing away. Seeming its getting black the cold dark moon peers through the clouds. Darker and darker the night gets.

Trying to find my way then I see a tiny light a small littel laturn. As I grab one of the laturns I hear a howl like a wolf. Looking up to the moon I see a shadow of a wolf. Running back to the cave I try to make a fire. No use. Trying to get warmed up by a laturn is not easy. Cold night passes quickley. Drop of sunlight fills the morning sky. Peachy colers everywhere. I crawl out of the lump of snow I was sleeping on. Snow falling down my boots. Thats what can happen in another place.