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I’m sure many of you have heard about the crying diatribe emotionally delivered by Ellen DeGeneres on her morning talk show. Many have differing opinions on her overwhelmingly passionate speech.

Here are my 2 cents and personal story.

Legally, she was not allowed to give away the dog. Personally, I would have probably reacted the same way she had. I can personally attest that because of my experience over 5 years ago with Happy Tails in Franklin, TN I will never adopt an animal from a related shelter. I love animals. My husband does even more. We give great homes to them. When the boys are old enough for a dog we will add it to our 2 cat animal house.

The day I went to get a precious kitten from Happy Tails for my finance (JJ) who was busy at a gold tournament, I found that I was not able to “surprise” the other parent of the animal. I was “evil” because I grew up in a house that he “declawed” and found myself in the middle of a lecture including illustrations of what “declawing” does to cats, and yes it was sad. Thank God they use lasers now. THEN as I departed holding back tears they informed me I would never be a fit parent.

I went back to my car, called my friend debb, wept and ranted, then decided they were not going to get away with that. I found the Pet Nazi herself as she was about to leave for lunch. I was teary eyed but firm. I told her she had no right to judge my parenting. That I was a kind animal lover with a huge amount of nurturing tendencies. I went on but no longer remember what I said. She backed down and asked me to go pick an animal. I told her I would not only never return, but I would make sure everyone I knew that wanted to get a pet there would go elsewhere. I told her what she was doing was probably out of a good heart toward the pet but had no regard for human beings.

These people need to learn to have a heart for real people and not just animals. Compassion for animals is great, but to trump people, as if people are the enemy? That is plain wrong and I would argue slightly insane.

 

 

Last Thursday Owen had what they call at his preschool, a “book parade”. His book was on Noah’s Ark so his whole class had to dress up like animals. They paraded around in a circle and up on to the stage and sang their song. His was that one we learned in Sunday School when we were little, you know…

The Lord…. Told Noah…. To build him and arky arky…

I absolutely could not wait for that precious frog to get on stage so I could revel in his first ever school song performance! He walked up with his class, lined up… and then slight pushing battles began. He and a few of the other boys were all rallying for a front row spot. In the end the assistant had to pull one of the boys (a cow) backward back into line and this pushed Owen behind the line.

Yes, folks…. My little guy… the one I adored… I could not see. I’m told he was just looking around anyway. But I MISSED IT! A first. To make it worse. This week I am missing the first field trip. This also does not seem to be a big deal to the other mothers… but it is killing me. I guess I will have other opportunities to be a “room mom”. Right?

My Lukas (19 mos) by nature is a risk taker. They are often calculated risks, but risks none the less. As a result, I often find myself running to his rescue. The look on his face when he is in terror, or the way he can scream when he needs me, it absolutely penetrates my heart. Lukas never fears screaming for me. He never hesitates crying in desperation for help.

Today, while I cleaned the play-room the boys were wrestling and suddenly I heard an absolutely terrifying scream. I ran over to find my oldest (3) holding down our little tent over a completely covered Lukas. Through the hole in the tent I saw a tiny hand reaching out as he screamed with everything his 27 lb. body could muster. Without hesitation I grabbed it and pulled him out. He cried hard and I just held him. Held him, rocked him, told him he was okay and that I loved him. Of course, I also corrected Owen asking him to think about how it would feel if someone did that to him. He apologized to Lukas and gave him a hug.

This happens a lot with Lukie. Disaster, Screams for help, A little hand reaching high, and a rescue.

Tonight, it reminded me of one of my favorite passages in the Bible. Often in counseling, both secular and Christian, they will tell you to visualize a happy or safe place. When I am really struggling or my mind is ultra-scattered I’ll do this, get there in my mind’s eye and then pray to Jesus. Sometimes I even do this when I miss my mom and wish I could talk to her. I go there and tell God how I feel, how my heart is breaking and ask him to tell her I love her. May sound cheesy, but it does help.

My most commonly used “safe place”  is one that I have always imagined when I read this passage,

From Psalm 18:
16 He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
he drew me out of deep waters.

17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from my foes, who were too strong for me.

18 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
but the LORD was my support.

19 He brought me out into a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me.

I love that visual. The waters that are overtaking me… Just short of a last breath and then the God of the universe reaches down through the clouds because he HEARD MY CRIES! and he rescues me. He pulls me up and puts me in this gorgeous place where it is just he and I. I’m sitting under a huge weeping willow, the grass is perfect, soft, and green. The sky is blue as far as I can see. There are no bugs, and perfect silence. I feel so light I could float.

Knowing how much I love Lukas, and how there is nothing I wouldn’t do to try and rescue him opens my eyes to God’s love for me, this passage has even deeper meaning to me.

I hope that you all have this same peace I do, this same place to turn. Please know you can always ask me for prayer and that I would be more than happy to explain more about what I believe.

My boys have been heating up my heart lately. One minute I’m stressed at the noise level, the other I’m melting deeply in love.

3 recent examples.

Hugs. Lukas is a lover. He doesn’t dispense acts of his love on demand… but when I least expect it he will run to me and throw his arms around my neck digging his perfectly shaped little head into my body. His tiny hands hold me as tight as his little muscles can muster. I could drink in that kind of love all day long. The other day he did this while I knelt down to do something. Owen who often copies what Lukas is doing in a sort of sibling rivalry fashion, ran to my other side and did the same thing. They both hugged me at the same time with all the love they could express. They held on. I closed my eyes and absorbed everything I could from it. I realize this won’t continue forever. These days are going fast and will soon fade. I have to thank God for every moment.

Laughter. JJ and I were in a parenting class at church tonight. Judy, our instructor, discussed how as parents we help facilitate healthy sibling relationships. She brought up how children that grow up having healthy close relationships with their siblings end up having a shared language together, their own way of communicating with one another, their own group sense of humor. It re-iterated what I witnessed in the car this morning.

As I drove the boys to the club, Owen, always the clown, started making noises he thought made him the funniest guy alive! He would make them and then belly laugh so hard. Lukas would look over at him and start laughing hard too, so Owen would do it again. They were truly enjoying each other. Finding the same nerdy joke hilarious. I thought of how they will have each other always (Lord-willing). I thought of how they will always make each other laugh. It brought me such joy.

Talent. Maybe it is too early to really say “talent”. But definitely an interest. I went to pick Owen up from kids club this afternoon and spoke up across the room to get him to the parent pick up area. He looked at me and acted 7 years old, “Mom, I just have to finish something really quick and then I’ll be right there”. Okay my way-too-grown-up 3-year-old. He intently worked on something over at the table. I assumed he was coloring or doing some sort of other craft. Then he ran over to me carefully balancing a wooden puzzle in his hands. The look on his face, eyes wide, deep dimples, grinning ear to ear. He was so proud. I looked down and he had not just put a puzzle together, but a complicated one I would have never thought he could have put together himself.

I have to admit, I don’t play puzzles with him much. We have an alphabet one I used to do with him to help him learn his letters, but puzzles are hard on my type-A nature. At least children’s’ puzzles. They lose pieces, leave them everywhere… so frustrating. But this puzzle was a gem. A small geometric puzzle. I asked if he did it all by himself and the girl confirmed he had, and that he had done it several times over. Owen had me awe-struck at that moment.

God, Thank you so much for these boys. They bless my life constant. They put so much into perspective. They absolutely wear me out, but they are the greatest thing short of your love, that has EVER happened to JJ and I.

We did not end up leaving until 3:45pm. We decided to stop half way so that we did not have to drive too late into the night. We found a great hotel though, so I’m happy My teeth and sinuses still ache, but hopefully I can get to a dr. tomorrow afternoon. We’ll see.

We have internet here so I have been working on getting my photos together. I’m so behind (as in just about everything else!). I will probably post pictures everyday this week!

Today’s batch if from Lukas’s baby dedication. It took place on July 1. We didn’t get very clear pictures of the actual dedication and I have been waiting on my father’s before I posted this, but I thought I would just go ahead and post anyway

Owen dressed up for his brother’s big day.

Lu being good as he waited to be called up.

Its time! (very blurry!)

Our church likes to make some babies This was just one service!

Lu couldn’t make it through the whole service and had a yucky nose so I wouldn’t put it in the nursery. To the cafe we went!

Lukas and my dad.

Owen at after church dinner.

Owen and JJ outside of the restaurant.

Lukas and Paw Paw outside of the restaurant.

Jordan over at Mama Blogga Is holding a group writing project and this time I wanted to jump in! The theme is “3 things I want my kids too…” and you can fill in the rest of the idea. If you are interested in joining check out this link for full details.

On to my post for the project.
——————————————————————————————————————
3 Things I Pray my Boys Will Find in a Bride.

Choosing a mate. Wow.

Because I’m a mother of a pre-schooler and a toddler the idea of them choosing a mate some day is a difficult thing to imagine! I barely allow them being away from me for more than a few hours! Despite that, I’m aware that some day my little birds will fly away and at some point probably marry (I hope!). I keep this forward thought in my mind as I pray for them.

It’s wild to imagine that the little girl may be out there somewhere already. That some mommy and daddy (I pray for her sake,) are raising her with love and leading her in a way that will make her a good wife and mother (again I hope!) some day.

I know I know, I am reflecting MY WANTS onto their choice already! I see every reason to have a goal and pray blessings on their life. I hope that when that time comes around I am able to be as wonderful and gracious as my own mother-in-law is to me.

If I could outline the things I pray for most regularly regarding their wives it would be these:

1. That she would love Jesus and see her life as a process in which she is shaped in molded more into His likeness. Let’s face it, no one is perfect! But to Love Jesus first above all else will cause all things naturally, over time, to fall into place. That in all things she would be teachable. That she would never feel like she has “arrived” but will always have a perspective that desires to grow while maintaining thankfulness for where she is at.

2. I pray that she would never see divorce as an option and understand the seriousness of her vows made on her wedding day. I pray that her love for my son would be there on both the good days and the bad ones. The days he is being crappy and the days he is her prince. That she would demonstrate her love by thinking about his needs and desiring to meet them.

3. I pray that she would be his best friend. That he will have shared more laughs with her than anyone else. That she would be able to grow and dream with him. That they could share everything, run to each other in excitement with accomplishments, and cry together with defeats. I pray that their friendship would challenge and sharpen each other.

It’s good to have an opportunity to consider these things. I pray we are able to raise boys that have these same values deep within their being.

What do you pray or hope for your own children?

Just to let you know (thanks for the prayers,) my children are in a safe zone for lead in their blood! I’m so glad. The tests came back much sooner than I thought they would.

Today the International Herald had an interesting article on the Thomas & Friends Lead Recall situation.

When it first announced the recall, RC2 said its customers would have to cover shipping costs to mail back the trains. It reversed that decision after parents reacted angrily, but it is still going to wait about two months to send the postage refunds. Why? “Because finance is in another building,” as one customer service employee on RC2’s toll-free hotline told me.Most important of all, the company hasn’t yet explained how the lead got into the trains or what it’s doing to avoid a repeat. Like their counterparts at HIT, the RC2 executives have stayed silent.

Battening down the hatches might work if this were a scandal about sweatshop conditions. Fairly or not, Americans have a limited attention span when it comes to human rights problems on the other side of the world. But the prospect of lead paint in your child’s nervous system tends to focus the mind.

The fact that the executives at HIT and RC2 haven’t grasped the difference shows how out of date the corporate script on outsourcing has become. In many businesses, outsourcing has simply grown too big to stay behind the curtain. What happens in Chinese factories determines how good - how reliable and how safe - many products are.

So there is no way for executives to distance themselves from China without also distancing themselves from their own product.

Read entire article…

I responded to the author David Leonhardt via email because I could not seem to find out from anywhere if RC2 Corporation was willing to pay for blood testing our children for lead.

Mr. Leonhardt,

Thank you so much for your story in the Herald today regarding the Thomas recall and the problems with outsourcing. What I can’t seem to find anywhere is if they are going to cover the costs of blood tests for lead poisoning, and if a class action is started against them yet? I have some of the trains, and i have a 3 year old and 1 year old. They chew on them… paint is chipped. My pediatrician ordered a blood test right away and I’m waiting for results. This is going to blow up into a huge matter if children have lead poisoning as a result. I suppose I’m writing you in response to this with the hope that maybe you have these answers? or you may find them and write on them. I’m so upset about this problem. I for one will not be returning my trains until I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that my children are not effected.

Thank You,
(my name)

To my total shock, he wrote me back!

Thanks, Elizabeth.

The customer-service representative on the RC2 hotline told me that many parents have been asking whether the company will cover the cost of the lead tests but that the company will not be. If you want to call the number for yourself, it’s 866-725-4407. And I’ll post this exchange in our reader response section.

David

Now why won’t O’Reilly write me back? (please know I’m kidding- I mean, I DID write him, but in hopes it was a story his team would consider airing, but he has never written back to my other ideas, so why would he this time?- LOL)

I have not been able to find the section or reader reaction he is talking about, but I’m glad I’m in it!

Previous posts regarding Thomas Recall and reasons to Boycott China:
Thomas & Friends Recall- Update Part 2
Thomas & Friends Recall Update
Thomas & Friends Recall
China Organ Harvesting
Still Thinking about Women in China
61 Women Forced to Have Abortions in China

Mostly for my husband (and relatives away), but you all can take a look-see too!

This was Mimi’s last day here. We had a slow morning (which is typical around here) and then set off to lunch and a walk through a historic villiage near me. They are opening so many quaint little shops in this villiage and we love it so much! We promised the boys if they were good on our trip there that we would take them to the new cupcake cafe that opened. They were good, so we all reaped the benefit!

Enjoying the cupcakes.

After naps we chilled a bit and then head out about an hour west of the city to meet up with Paw-Paw, have dinner, and drop Mimi off. PawPaw drives a bus as a side job and had to be in NYC all week. He dropped Mimi off on the way there and was picking her up tonight. The boys loved being able to see the big bus. At first (as you can see) Lukie was scared. But then they were just 100% intrigued. Owen could barely wait to get there. It was great to see Paw-Paw and I’m glad that they will be visiting again in a little over a week. My parents will be coming back from Florida then too!

Picture of Lukas being hesitant about the bus.

Lukas and Mimi.

Mimi and Paw-Paw with the boys.

I love the way that Mimi and Paw-Paw are looking at eachother and laughing in this picture.

Paw-Paw driving the bus.

The boys taking a little ride in the front of the bus.

The boys got back and in bed so late tonight. I hope there is a shred of hope that means they will sleep in- but I doubt it.

Tomorrow is IFF (internet free Friday). If something posts, remember it’s probably future-post, but I doubt I will post anything tomorrow

The good news is I’m actually caught up on my feed reading (for the moment!)

The boys in my life. JJ often has ‘phone meetings’ outside. Especially with it being so nice out. We were leaving the house to go to the pool and the boys were super excited to see him.

Owen did great letting me know when he had to potty at the pool, which meant treats for both. Let me tell you, Lukas has really been enjoying Owen potty-training

Last minute love before dad leaves town. Lukas couldn’t get enough of his daddy.

The amazing husband and I. I always wish we had more pictures together.

Happiness. What more can I say. He was completely posing for this picture.

And something incredibly important that I have not yet mentioned from today….
Mimi, my mother-in-law, gave me the whole afternoon off. It is absolutely amazing how much one can accomplish sans children. I ran so many errends on different sides of town QUICKLY! Even once I got home she kept watching the boys outside and I was able to work on my blankies for the Chinese orphans I mentioned in this post. It is so amazing to have such sweet help. Mimi is an incredible grandma. We are blessed with both sides of our family.

I really need to get more pictures of Mimi before she leaves!

What a great weekend!

Our weather could not have been more perfect. Saturday my mother-in-law watched the children and my husband and I did yard work all day. I planted some more knock out roses and a few other things I found at the nursury that I fell in love with. I’m so happy with where our landscape is going and plan to continue it! Now if only we could get a good rain! I have been soaking my roses non-stop!

Saturday night my husband grilled AMAZING kabobs. After a day of hard physical labor it was nice to have some good rice and meat!

Sunday we went to church as usual, though we didn’t make the early service as we had planned. My pastor has been hitting home run after home run for the last few months. (It takes a lot to get me to use a baseball analogy!) I was going to post a link to his sermon, but it seems they haven’t posted this weeks yet. If you are looking for great sermons to listen to, you can check out this link though. I love the way Rich speaks. Very down to earth, logical, and still incredibly challanging. There isn’t a week that goes by (that I attend) where I don’t leave pondering my walk with the Lord and some area of it. He speaks with the authority and confidence of Christ, he doens’t hold back the hard truths, but at the same time he isn’t yelling at you. He doesn’t make his tone and demeanor be the conviction on you, but rather the Holy spirit by hearing truth.

Right now we are on a spiritual warfare series. The previous series rocked as well. It was on “becoming a church for others”. So if you want to check them out GO HERE.

Today we went to the pool with mimi and had a blast. Owen learned to swim underwater and wore himself out doing it! Come to think of it I’m worn out too But the good kind of worn out. We are grilling BBQ chicken tonight and I have herb roasted potatoes in the oven now. I think we’ll go down the street and pick strawberries at my dad’s house too.

I wish I had pics of everything, but I didn’t have a charged camera until this morning. At some point I will post pictures of my new plants.

I hope you are having a great monday!

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