Raising a Girly Girl?

Everyone knows that fashion is not one of my top priorities.  Occasionally I try to "fix up," but it is not a rare event to spot me at the grocery store in sweat pants, an old t-shirt, ponytail and no make-up.  (Oh, if only the Miss NC judges could see me now!  Surely they would think I was Top 10 material!)  My number one consideration in my fashion choices is comfort followed closely by the question "can this be put in the washing machine and dryer and NOT need ironing?".  I choose my kids' clothes by the same criteria.

Did I say "choose my kids' clothes"?  Well, I buy the clothes (usually consignment) and they often get clothes as gifts from their grandparents (new and usually more fashionable).  But while I suggest clothes for them to wear, I am not opposed to them picking out their own clothes provided that they are weather appropriate.  Jackson has been spotted like this:

Selah is just now getting to the age that she occasionally has a preference in clothing.  And usually that preference is dresses.  Girly dresses.  This morning I chose this outfit for her to wear:

But she insisted on wearing this (headband included):

We looked like quite a pair since I was in jean shorts, a race t-shirt, pony tail, no make-up and covered in calamine lotion over poison ivy on my right arm and left leg!

Only time will only tell if I'm raising a true girly girl (just like her Grandma would want it) or her closet will have a wider spectrum of things like cheerleading skirts, barn boots, glittery crowns, and sports cleats like mine was.

Snaggle Tooth

Last October when Jackson had his first dentist visit the hygienist told me that one of his teeth was wiggling a little!  How exciting...his first loose tooth.  She said that she wouldn't be surprised if it was out (or very close to coming out) in the next six months.  Well, six months came and went and the tooth had barely loosened at all.  By the end of school, though, we were really starting to see some progress!  I told him that I thought he would lose it over the summer before school started back.  Well, he started back to school last Wednesday with all teeth in tact.  I was starting to think that the tooth would never come out!

Finally on Saturday night when he was brushing his teeth before bed he spit out his toothpaste and it was tinged with blood.  ??  I inspected his mouth to see what might be going on and found that his loose tooth had separated from the gum in the back and was suddenly much looser!  THE TIME HAD COME!  I was so excited.  Is that wrong?  It's just such a BIG moment!  I wasn't excited about the pain he was about to endure, and I'm not trying to wish his childhood away.  It helped that Jackson was excited, too.  Perhaps it was nervous-excitment.  Anyway, I was determined to get the tooth out myself, but it took me three tries.  After the first 2 tries Jackson was ready to leave the tooth for another day.  But it was just hanging there, and I told him that he might swallow it after biting into some...I don't know...AIR!  It was barely hanging on!  One more pull and it was out.

After we put pressure on the hole for a minute I had him swish with some warm salt water.  That's what my mom always made me do!  (Warm because it helps the salt dissolve and salt because it helps heal the gum.)   He immediately went to get a magnifying glass so he could inspect that tooth closer!  Then it was under the pillow for the Tooth Fairy.

OH...THE TOOTH FAIRY?  Jason and I NEVER have cash on us!  I started wondering if Jackson would think it was weird to wake up with a check from mom and dad under his pillow.  I knew I didn't have a dollar bill, but I thought fifty cents would be an appropriate payment for a baby tooth.  So, I began searching through my change purse to find two quarters.  Hmmm...nickels, dimes, and pennies.  And not too many of those.  But then, I saw it!  One beautiful, shiny gold dollar coin that I had gotten as change somewhere (maybe the Washington DC subway?) and saved because I thought it was cool.  Perfect!  Jason and I crept into our sleeping son's room and made the exchange.

The next morning he was so excited!  It was really cute.

So, what did I do with the tooth?  Well, it seems weird to throw it away, but it also seems weird to keep it.  So, I kept it in a box for now.  I'll probably end up throwing it away in a few more weeks when the "specialness" of the moment has worn off.  I can just imagine how creepy it would be for Jackson or Selah as teenagers or adults to be rummaging through my stuff trying to find something and then come across a box of teeth.  That would be too weird.

So, that's the story!  On a side note, the tooth right beside his new hole is getting pretty loose now too!  But who knows how long it will take it to come out!

Countdown to Kindergarten

The summer is winding down, and in just a few days, my first-born child will be a kindergartener.  Jackson is not very excited about starting back to school.  I keep trying to remind him of all the fun things at school like PE, the playground, and his friends, but it's not totally convincing him yet.  We went to open house yesterday which was not such a big deal since he'll be in the same class with the same teacher and many of the same friends as last year.  But we found out that his best friend from last year that he thought was going to a different school for kindergarten is in fact back in his class!  I was so excited.  I think Jackson will be excited, but he pretty much just looked stunned throughout open house.

I have mixed feelings about Jackson going back to school.  On one hand I'm looking forward to the routine of it all and being able to focus on getting stuff done while Selah is taking a nap.  But on the other hand, I have had so much fun this summer having both of them at home.  We have certainly made the most of our summer vacation.  In addition to our usual fun activities (children's museum, water park, library) Jackson got to take swimming lessons for a couple of weeks.  I was amazed at how much he improved with proper instruction!

Jackson continued with Tae Kwon Do and got his orange belt.

Earlier in the summer we planned some yard camping in my parents' yard with the cousins.  It ended up raining us out, so instead we set up the tent in their living room.  They still had a blast!

It has been a busy, but FUN summer!  We're sad to say good-bye to staying up late and sleeping in.  But we're looking forward to a great year!

Recipe for a Great Birthday Party

Take one happy 2-year-old birthday girl

throw in some homemade Backyardigans party decorations (made by brother)

add a mom, dad, and brother

2 aunts, 2 uncles, and 4 cousins

mix in 4 fantastic grandparents

stir together with hamburgers and hot dogs, strawberry cupcakes,

lots of playtime, and some cool presents

and you have yourself one GREAT birthday party.

Selah turned two on Thursday.  We celebrated with an afternoon at the Children's Museum, then Cici's Pizza and frozen yogurt at Feeney's.  Then Jackson and Selah were off to spend the night with grandma and grandaddy.  I had to work of Friday while they enjoyed some good quality grandparent time.  When we brought them home on Friday we gave Selah her birthday present from mom and dad.  I bought this amzaing Rose Petal Cottage from my neighbor's yard sale, and Selah fell in love with it!  We let them both stay up a little bit late because they were having so much fun playing with it.

It is unbelievable how fast the last two years have passed!  I'm amazed at how much she is talking now.  It is nothing unusual for her to walk up to me and spout out some complex sentence!  It makes me laugh every time.  Plus, she ends almost everything she tells me with "mom."  Not mommy...mom. "I need a waffle, mom."  "I'm changing baby's diaper, mom." I don't know where she got that.  She has become more assertive and stubborn now that she's old enough to know what she really wants.  She is not shy about making her wishes known!  True to two-year-old form she is trying some temper tantrums and crying to get her way when I initially deny her requests.  I am trying my best to not fall for these tricks, although I have to admit I have caught myself on auto-pilot a few times giving in to the crying.  I actually have to consciously think about not letting her win.  Here's the thought process: first she asks for something I don't think she should have.  For example asking for cottage cheese for snack when she had cottage cheese for lunch.  I deny the request.  She suddenly goes into a crying fit.  I think "wow, I didn't know you had such strong feelings about it.  And hey...it's not like cottage cheese is bad for you.  I mean it's certainly better than a cookie.  On second thought your request doesn't seem so bad."  And I start giving in.  Harmless, right?  Until I realize that I just reinforced her tendency to over-react to not getting her way.  This mom thing gets complicated sometimes.

She has also become more territorial recently.  I frequently have to diffuse arguments between Jackson and her that basically boil down to simple sharing issues.  Usually if I reassure her that Jackson is not trying to take her toys away from her and then suggest that she invite Jackson to play with her, she backs down and is willing to share.  I'm trying to teach Jackson how to act like a 5-year-old when Selah is acting like a 2-year-old.  So often he stoops to her level of arguing, I guess because it's the only way he thinks she will understand him.  Overall they get along great, so hopefully we'll just ease through this little sibling sharing problem.  After all, they can't get rid of each other.  =)

Selah, you are a sweet, happy, beautiful little girl!  I love your determination, and I think it will serve you well in life as long as you learn how to direct it in the right way.  You have the best big brother to help you along the way!  Happy 2nd Birthday, sweet girl!

Happy Birthday, Robot Roscoe

I love my kids' imaginations!  It still kind of surprises me when they make up elaborate pretend games, because I never had much of an imagination (just ask my sister...she loves to tell the story about how I was being assessed for the academically gifted program in elementary school and part of the test was about creativity.  When asked to list all the different ways to use a brick, all I could think of was "1. to build a house and 2.  as a doorstop".  Good thing Jason is more creative than me!)

Anyway, this morning Jackson wanted to make a surprise birthday party for his robot, Roscoe (idea for the robot came from a Backyardigans episode...the same one that inspired Selah's costume).  The robot's legs, as you will see, are made from Jackson's piano stand.  The body is invisible sitting on top of the legs.  Jackson took time to use my pots and pans to make homemade pizza and cake for the birthday party.  Here's the setup and the surprise.

Robot Selah

Inspired by a Backyardigans robot episode, Jackson decided on Sunday to make a robot costume.  We didn't have a box big enough to fit him, but he was happy enough to make Selah the beneficiary (or victim) of his design genius.  The outfit was complete with a control panel in the front and decorations all around for trend-setting robo-girl.  A convienient side entry was a last-minute modification after a preliminary fitting proved that while the original design was pretty easy to get on, it was not so easy to take off.  Selah was a willing enough participant for all of this, but she bounced back and forth between being excited that she was getting all the attention and being nervous about being able to get out of the box.  The final product:

Summer Playtime

When you have kids, even mundane chores (like watering the yard) can be fun.  The scorching hot temperatures combined with the lack of rain this summer has left our yard brown and crunchy.  What happened to all those flooding rains from the spring?  Well, Jackson and Selah certainly aren't complaining about the lack of rain.  They're just happy to get some sprinkler playtime!  Look at the joy on their faces!  Remember how much fun it was as a child to get soaking wet in your clothes and run around in the yard until grass and dirt are stuck all over your feet and legs?  Then come inside for a warm bath or shower, get into your pjs, and climb into bed totally exhausted?  Childhood is awesome!

Kickoff to Summer Vacation

Today officially ended our first week of summer vacation, and we have absolutely squeezed every drop of fun possible out of it!  Here's a run-down:

Friday:  We took it easy at home just enjoying not having to rush out the door for school.  Watched cartoons and pretended it was Saturday.  In the afternoon, we played with Carter and Julia down the street.  Then we drove to Oak Ridge for a playdate with Samantha, Lauren, Anna, Hudson, and baby James.  We used to get together with this group regularly when Jackson was much younger, but now it's only a few times a year that we all happen to not be busy at the same time!  It was great to sit around and catch up with the other parents while our kids played in the sprinklers and dug in the dirt.

Saturday:  We were at church ALL DAY for 6-month planning meetings and working on our new space.  Jackson and Selah were such troopers!  Selah finally fell asleep on my shoulder (way past her naptime) and I laid her on the rug in the middle of the kids' church room.  She slept soundly there while Jason and I assembled a couch from IKEA.  I wish I had a picture.  One day I'm going to assemble pictures like this for a "Life of a PK" post.

Sunday:  church in the morning.  Jackson friend ended up spending the night with us after he informed his mom that he would rather spend the night at Jackson's house than go with them to Carowinds the next day!  His dad is the student pastor at our church and they were taking the teenagers on a trip there.  (Jentezen actually made a great choice because I think he, being 4, would have been miserable at Carowinds all day in the 90+ degree temperatures!)

Monday:  After Jason performed a magic act squeezing Jentezen's carseat between the other two in his car, I took the 3 kids to the Greensboro Children's Museum.  They had a great time playing and pretending.  In the afternoon they watched a movie and popped popcorn.  They acted like brothers all day.  It was so funny to see them hugging one minute and then mad at each other over something trivial the next. 

Tuesday:  We have been trying to beat the heat this week and go for a run or bike ride around 10am before the mercury hits 90.  Tuesday and Thursday I ran with Selah in the jogging stroller while Jackson rode his bike.  He has lost a little of his determination to persevere on the hills so I'm lucky to get 2 miles done.  Wednesday I actually biked with him mostly because Selah was asking for a "bi ri".  Tuesday afternoon we went to the library, and Jackson used his own library card for the first time.  He was SO proud of himself and only slightly disappointed that he could only check out two items his first time.  I assured him that next time he could check them all out.

Wednesday:  The kids spent the day playing together while I cleaned house and prepared for my small group.

Thursday:  In the mornings when we get back from our run/bike ride we've been spending some time in the garage coloring with sidewalk chalk and painting the cement with water.  It amazes me that Selah likes to color so much because Jackson only slightly warmed up to it by the time he turned three.  She really loves sidewalk chalk, color wonder markers (and real markers when mommy's not looking), and the AquaDoodle mat.  I have been practicing shapes and counting with her.  She can now count to 10 and identify 8 shapes!  She surprised me with how easily she learned the shapes.  Because her personality is so different than Jackson's (as I've said before, she's more like a cat) I had thought her lack of response to my "teaching" moments was because she didn't understand what I was doing or wasn't ready for it.  Then one day she casually revealed that she knew it all.  It's almost like she rolled her not-yet-2-year-old eyes and said "duh, mom, it's a crescent, everybody know that."  Oh, excuse me. 

In the afternoon we went to Wet n Wild Water Park and purchased season passes.  I let the kids play for about and hour and a half.  They loved it!  Selah is such a daredevil and amazes me at her courage in water and on slides.  I rarely let go of her hand while we were there.  Jackson was totally psyched about the season pass.  He can't wait for Jason to be able to go with us so he can do the bigger slides.

After Wet n Wild we went to Tae Kwon Do and Party on the Plank.  When he went to bed he declared that today was "a to infinity and beyond fun day!"  I'd say that says it all!

Big Day!

Yesterday was a huge day in our house!

First, it was Jackson's last day of pre-K.  I had been looking forward to this day for a while!  I am really excited about having both of my kids at home together for the summer.  We made a paper chain and hung it from the doorframe in our kitchen to count down the days til the end of school.  We took a link off the chain every day when he came home from school until finally we were down the one last link!!

As I waited in line to pick him up, I was surprised to find that my excitment was mixed with a little sadness.  Partly because I didn't feel like I had any closure with his teachers and friends at school.  I have really gotten to know them through my weekly volunteering.  I'm so glad that Jackson will be in Ms. McCoy and Mrs. Welborn's class again next year!

But part of my sadness was that very familiar sad-mixed-with-happy feeling that I get each time one of my kids hits an important milestone;  they're growing up.  I was trying to tell Jackson about this feeling, and he asked very innocently, "Why are you sad that I'm growing up?"  Good question.  I don't know why it's sad.  I guess I just love each stage they go through so much that I miss it when it's gone.  Good thing there's plenty to look forward to!  It didn't help my emotional state when Jackson climbed in the car with a very sad look on his face and through tears announced that his best friend in school was moving to a different school next year.  He was heartbroken.  That was all the excuse I needed to let my tears come, too.  I just hugged him and told him that I would try to see if they could play together this summer. 

We both started feeling better on the way home.  Then Jackson really cheered up when he found a special "you just finished pre-K" present waiting on him at home: a Leapster!  (you know me...it was purchased at a consignment sale)  He wanted to start playing it immediately, and I've already had to put some limits on his time with it!  I'm so glad he loves it!  =)

After some outside playtime and a special last-day-of-school-is-a-great-excuse-for-ice-cream-cake snack, it was time to get ready for Tae Kwon Do.  Jackson was testing for his yellow belt.  Well, it wasn't a true yellow belt.  He won't start getting solid-color "real" belts until he moves out of the Little Dragons class, which I think happens when he turns 6.  But it was real enough for Jackson!  He had to demonstrate all his blocks, kicks, and punches as well as perform two different combinations of skills.  I was so proud of him!  He really seems to like Tae Kwon Do and I think it has added some tenacity to his personality. 

Yellow belt around his waist, we jumped in the car, changed his clothes, ran through the Subway drive-thru and were off to Party on the Plank, High Point's version of Live After Five.  This is the Party's first year, and our church volunteered to host the kids' play area for the first 3 weeks.  So, although mommy and daddy were working, Jackson and Selah couldn't have been happier to tag along since that meant 2 hours of playtime on an inflatable slide and bounce house.  Side note:  I was holding Selah while policing the end of the inflatable slide.  After every person slid she would announce "Selah's turn!"  Before the end of the night I did take her down the slide 3 times.  She loved it!

Finally we put our exhausted, sweaty kids in the car and headed home.  When I was putting Jackson to bed he thanked me for all his special surprises and declared it a great day!  It makes it so easy to give him special treats when he's so thankful for them.  Even today when he was eating another slice of ice-cream cake he said, "Mom, thank you for making this ice-cream cake.  I know it took you a lot of work!"  Worth it, buddy! 

Let summer break begin!

Selah: 21 months

I cannot believe that Selah will be turning 2 in just three short months.  It seems like everyday she is becoming more independent and growing her little personality.  She says "I do it" when I'm trying to feed her or brush her teeth.  It's so funny to note the differences between how I treated Jackson (the FIRST) and how I'm treating Selah (the next).  I've really tried to encourage Jackson to be independent, try things, experiement, even at the cost of my clean house.  But when Selah says "I do it" my mind immediately flashes to me cleaning up the shipwrecked aftermaths of all her maiden voyages in toddlerhood.  It's just so much easier when "mommy do it."  But I'm really trying to let go and allow her those same shipwrecks that Jackson had.  (I can only imagine how hard this is when they get to be teenagers!!)  As we head towards 2, she is also starting to throw herself on the ground in a temper tantrum when she doesn't get something she wants.  I'm trying my best to remember all those great parenting articles I read about how to deal with these tantrums...you know, when I read articles.  Hmm...might be time to renew that subscription to Parents magazine. 

Selah's blossoming independence is not entirely like a scene from Braveheart, though.  There are two really sweet phrases I hear frequently throughout the day:

1-  I show you

Sometimes I get frustrated when I can't understand somthing she is trying to tell me, so I started saying "show me."  She picked up on this and will use the phrase herself.  I'll be working on something and she'll come take my hand and say "I yo you."  She will lead me to something, maybe a toy she wants me to play with her or something that she wants but can't reach, and say "here."  I love the communication! 

2 - I help you

The first time it happened I was folding laundry.  I was taking a stack of folded clothes to my room to put them away, leaving behind a few other stacks to put in other rooms.  I heard her following behind me saying "I hep you."  When I turned around I saw her carrying what was once a pile of neatly folded washcloths.  It was now a wad of a few washcloths with several other dropped behind her like a trail of breadcrumbs to lead her back to the living room.  Yes, I had to re-fold all of them, but honestly I wasn't upset.  It was so sweet!  She often asks to "hep" me now, and of course I'm trying to encourage that!  Now when I'm putting away laundry I will intentionally give her a few items to carry to make her feel like she's helping without destroying one of my piles!

Last cute thing: She is playing much more independently these days too.  Her favorite thing is to take piles of stuff and move them to another location.  Yesterday she was playing in Jackson's room.  When I found her she had taken all of his suffed animals and piled them in the middle of his floor.  She had also taken all of his shoes out of the closet and laid them neatly in a row.  Here she was carefully lining up all of Jackson's racecars.  She really keeps herself busy! 

And she LOVES her brother!

It's Personal

Recently I was talking to a friend of mine about a certain recording artist.  My friend was telling me that she really didn't like the artist, even went as far as to say she hated him.  "Why?" I asked.  "I've heard he's real jerk.  Very cocky," was her response.  Her reasoning struck me as funny.  Her opinion of the artist wasn't based on his music at all, but on his character, of which my friend had no first-hand knowledge.  If she had said that she didn't like the guy's music I could've respected her view, because at least she's heard the music.  Experienced it for herself.  But how could she judge this man's character when she's never even met him?  Her experience in this situation is far from first-hand.  It's more like "I know a guy who heard from somone else...," or "Someone told me that they overheard or saw from a distance..."  That's hardly fair.  She doesn't know the real story.  Perhaps this artist had a particularly stressful day and lost his cool with someone once....it happens!  Could it be that a casual observer misinterpreted his actions? 

It happens to me all the time!  Picture it: Walmart, 2 kids, missed naps, getting hungry, but mom has just a few more groceries to get before heading home.  In that instance anyone who passes me would make all kinds of assumptions about my kids and my parenting that are completely off-base.  Has anyone ever misinterpreted something you did?  Didn't you wish they would have just given you a chance to explain or that they would've known your heart? 

It got me thinking, how many people think of God the same way that my friend thinks of the artist or the Walmart shopper thinks of me?  Made judgments based on what they've heard.  Written Him off based on third-hand information that is wildly distorted.  They know someone who was hurt by someone who "called themselves a Christian" (forgetting that Christians are humans too and screw up occasionally, but God is perfect).  They've heard about "God's way" and want no part of it (when really they've heard isolated scriptures taken completely out of context).  My hearts aches for these people!  Oh, I wish they would just give God a chance to explain Himself and know His heart.  Well, there's good news for all of us.  God is not some rock star that you have to give an arm and a leg to buy a backstage pass just for chance to meet Him once in a lifetime.  The bible tells us that we have a 24/7 all-access pass to Him personally.  Jesus tells us that we are not considered as servants who only have limited knowledge of the boss' work, but we are friends with the boss himself (John 15:15)!  We can know him intimately. 

Have you judged God from afar?  Then why not take the chance to know Him personally?  Even if you don't believe in Him yet, ask Him to show Himself to you.  Have a first-hand expereience.  Jesus said, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. (Matthew 7:7-8).

Where is Thumbkin?

Yesterday Jackson went to the dentist.  When they asked him if he was still sucking his thumb, he told them no.  I was surprised.  I hadn't noticed.  He only does it at night when he's falling asleep...when I'm not in there.  So I didn't even know he's stopped.  Last night and tonight I took him some water after I had already put him to bed just to check, and sure enough...no thumb sucking!  YAY!!!  He's been sucking his thumb since he was 4 months old.  As strong as this habit was I was definitely expecting a fight about giving it up.  (or a sticker chart with a bribe at the end)  Who would have thought news this big would have come with such little fanfare?  For now, blanket is still hanging around.

Holy Good Night's Sleep, Batman!

It started as a survival mechanism that just went un-dealt-with for too long.  I was getting up several times a night with my newborn Selah, working 30-hours a week outside the home, wearing several hats in our newborn church, trying to spend some quality time with both our kids, all while pratically running the household (bills, laundry, dishes, cleaning, cooking, errands) by myself as Jason was getting used to the schedule of a man working two full-time jobs.  It was the most chronically tired I have ever been.  So when Jackson started coming to my side of the bed (never daddy's side who sleeps like a rock and never hears the baby cry!) and saying that he was too scared to sleep in his room by himself because he had a bad dream, I would scoop him up in our bed to sleep the rest of the night.  I just couldn't muster the strength to take him back across the house and risk a repeat awakening.  Survival.

Things got better.  I quit my job to stay home.  Selah started sleeping through the night.  Jackson was less afraid and would sleep in his bed half the time.  But if he ever came to our bed, I would still scoop him up, throw him in between us, and roll back over to sleep.  I felt bad about it.  But I liked my sleep!  Finally I decided to try a new idea that would put the burden of fixing the problem on his shoulders.  All I needed was his calendar, star stickers, and a bag full of toys that I purchased at a consignment sale for $2.  I had intended to use the toys as small rewards for Jackson.  He found my rewards stash one day and asked if he could have them.  I told him he would have to earn them by doing certain things.  He was eager to know exactly what he could start doing to set him on a course for obtaining the booty.  *light bulb moment*  I told him that if he slept in his bed for seven nights (not necessarily consecutive) then he could choose one prize. 

The challenge laid before him, he slept in his own bed the very first night!  In fact, it only took him 9 nights to earn the prize, and one of those nights he stayed with grandma and grandaddy, so it couldn't count.  Yesterday, he proudly picked a Batman watch out of the prize bag.  We had to buy a new battery for it, but it works perfectly!  He wore it to school today despite feeling a little nervous about it since he reported that the only kids in his class who wore watches were the ones who were "mean to the teacher."  I think he proved today that you can wear a watch AND have good behavior. 

Last night was the first night of the completed challenge, so Jason and I took bets as to whether or not we would see him at our bedside in the middle of the night.  I won!  He slept in his own bed all night!  I don't know if it will last, but I have a whole bag of prizes to give away if I have to!  =)

After reading over this post, I am so thankful to be in a healthier place now than I was a year and a half ago.  I have such compassion for my friends who are still working greuling schedules, caring for newborns/small children, or being single moms.  I'm praying for them all.

puh-suh-vewance

Last summer we took a vacation to Kiawah Island.  It was a charming place, and part of that charm could be attributed to the sight of people on bicycles everywhere.  We rented bikes and a trailer for the kids and joined in the biking fun.  I had not been on a bike in years before that, and I was surprised how much fun I had.  I decided to bring the fun home.  I started looking for a child's bike seat at consignment sales and finally found a great one for $20 this spring.  Throw in a trip to Walmart for bike helmets, and we were ready!  Isn't she adorable?

But this story is not really about me or Selah.  It's about Jackson.  You see prior to the child seat purchase, Jackson always rode his bike with Selah and me strolling along.  Whenever we hit a big uphill he would ask me to give him pushes until we made it to the top.  Now that I'm on a bike, my ability to offer him assistance is next to nothing.  Our first few outings together were quite frustrating.  I was still getting used to the extra weight in my rear (Selah that is....in the rear of my bike!), and it's harder to keep your balance when you have go slow to wait on the kid who can't make it up a hill on his own.  I finally said, "Listen, Jackson, I'm not going to be able to give you pushes when I'm riding, too.  You're going to have to make your legs stronger so you can get up this hill on your own.  The only way to make your legs stronger is to exercise them; keep pushing.  You've got to PERSEVERE."  That was the magic word.  A switch flipped.  Jackson knows exactly what perseverance means and he set his mind to getting up that hill.  I was amazed.  He started pedaling up the hill.  I could tell it was hard, and I asked him if he wanted to get off and walk the bike up.  He said, with determination, "No, I'm going to puh-suh-vewe."  (still can't say his r's!)  He kept chanting "puh-suh-vewe" all the way up the hill and he made it!  Every day he has gotten a little stronger, and in only a week's time we're going for good little rides with 4 big uphills!  It's so sweet to see joy in his face when he's zooming down a hill...the built in reward for persevering through the tough uphill (or actually I have to imagine the joy in his face since I'm usually zooming behind him).  His puh-suh-vewance has paid off.  I'm so proud!  Jackson, I hope you keep this attitude for the rest of your life.  It will serve you well as you face lots of tough circumstances.  If you persevere, you will see those rewards!

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

What's that you say?

Yesterday I when Jackson got home from school, I looked in his bookbag and found that he brought home the same reading book that he had this weekend.  This means one of two things: either his class did not have a volunteer reader today or they did have a reader, but her forgot to get his book out.  The rule with the reading program is that you have to bring back your old book in order to take home a new one.  Time to investigate:

me: Jackson did your class have a reader today?
Jackson: Yes, it was Noni
me: Then why didn't you get a new book?
Jackson: Because I didn't bring back my old one.
me: Well, I put it in your bookbag this morning.
Jackson: No, you didn't.  I looked in there for it.
me:  Here it is right here.  See?  It was in your bag.
Jackson: Oh, I guess I was just blonde.  (meaning blind)

I didn't correct him because I was laughing too hard.

Spring Break in DC

A few months ago, Jackson saw the movie "Night at the Museum: Battle at the Smithsonian."  He absolutely loved it.  I told him that all of those museums, monuments, and characters really existed (although didn't talk in real life).  He was very interested and was asking lots of questions.  Jackson is just now beginning to understand the basics of the United States, government, and our capital.  I saw my opportunity to strike while the iron was hot, so I began making plans for a family trip during Jackson's spring break.  Making the plan was not easy; I told Jason that his working two jobs was really getting in the way of me making vacation plans. =)  Finally, we decided that we could leave after Jason got off work on Wednesday so the lawyer would only miss two days of work.  We could come home on Saturday afternoon so the pastor and worship leader could be back in time to get focused before Easter Sunday. The plan was set!  I got a great deal on a hotel room using Priceline.com thanks to my brother's help!  My neighbor, Amber (a DC expert) let me borrow lots of kids books, maps, and info about where to go and what to see to prepare for a great trip. 

We had a very smooth trip there. One very cute story:  in the car, Selah did something that Jackson disapproved of, and he said "Selah Reece" in that calling-her-down tone of voice (wonder where he heard that??).  Selah just echoed "Tee-yah Wee".  We couldn't help but laugh.  Later we heard he calling herself down: "Tee-yah Wee".  So cute!

Thursday morning we donned our good walking shoes, strapped the kids in the sit-and-stand stroller we borrowed from Amber (worth its weight in gold!!) and set out to explore.  Our hotel was very close to the Capitol and we walked all the way from there to the White House. 

Although it was a long walk, we enjoyed looking at the buildings and all the cherry trees in full bloom!

Next was the Museum of Natural History (you know...the dinosaurs and stuff).  Jackson was so excited to get there he was literally running from exhibit to exhibit with a big grin on his face.

The bad thing about traveling with kids is that you can't make too many plans.  You really have to wait and see how they're feeling and what they're up for.  It's pretty miserable to take cranky kids to something you thought would be really fun for them.  But the good thing about traveling with kids (especially when you're staying in one hotel room all together) is that it forces you to rest.  When Selah took a nap, we all laid down for some quiet rest time.  Just what we needed after a long day of walking.

Thursday afternoon we took a tour of the Capitol building led by a staffer from Congresswoman Virginia Foxx's office.  It was spectacular and inspiring.  Selah hated it and tested the echo-factor in several of the rooms there with her protests, but we made it through.  Unfortunately I left my camera behind and didn't get any pictures!

Back at the hotel, the kids and I went for a short swim in the hotel pool before getting ready for bed exhausted but happy.

Friday morning we decided to take the Metro to the Lincoln Memorial.  I really wanted Jackson to experience the rail system of a city (and it was quite a learning experience for Jason and I as well!  Our first try, we calculated our total fare for all of us and put it all on one FareCard.  We didn't know we each needed our own card!  oops!)  The Lincoln Memorial was so grand. 

It was almost surreal seeing these famous memorials, buildings, and monuments in person.  The last time I was in DC, I was in 8th grade.  It was really cool going back as an adult now that I can appreciate and respect the significance of it all.  Poor Jason carried our stroller up all those steps to see Honest Abe (I carried Selah). 

We took the elevator down (oh...an elevator...that would have been helpful to know about before).  We walked beside the Reflecting Pool and passed the WWII memorial and Washington Monument to get to the Air and Space Museum.  After getting our fill of airplanes and space shuttles it was time to walk back to the hotel for a rest. 

That night we hit the Museum of American History,

and we were pretty much wiped out.  We decided to take it easy Saturday morning and skip the zoo that we had originally planned to do.  We just packed up and went home.  We had a great trip.  We couldn't have packed much more into two days.  We would love to go back some day and do some things that we didn't get to do this time like tour the White House, go to the top of the Washington Monument, tour more museums, see and IMAX movie, and see the planetarium. 

Easter totally rocked!  Easter is my favorite day in church.  So exciting...so much energy...celebrating Jesus' Resurrection.  For the last 4 weeks we have had acoustic music at our church.  It was so refreshing to be back to our regular rockin' music.  Hopefully our set will be up on R2 Radio soon!  I am so blessed to be able to work with such talented musicians every week. 

Finally, we had a late Easter lunch with my family and sat around talking on the patio enjoying the beautiful weather.  What a great way to end a totally awesome Spring Break/Easter.