December 23, 2008

more pics

A few more...

Back in October (yes, slacker!), we went to Burt's Pumpkin Farm and Amicalola Falls. Sean loved the falls and all of the leaves.


He also loved that we got to have the fun pumpkin day with Kaylin and Alyssa.


Here's a trip in early December to the Aquarium.


Also, Granny went to the Aquarium with us. Sean loved having his great-grandma along!


And here's one Sean loves. A blast from his (limited) past. Here's Comma and Sean when Sean was less than a year old and we still lived in LaGrange.

a couple of recent pics

Yes, I'm a slacker. I have good reasons. Maybe I'll eventually even share them. Don't hold your breath. :)
In spite of that, I do have some pics for you (if you still drop by). I tell you, folks (I hope folks plural), this kid just keeps getting cuter, funnier, more everything.

First, a gorgeous beluga from the Georgia Aquarium. We love the aquarium, we love this whale and his friends.


Sean and his Lala at the tree farm this year.


Just a close-up of my scruffy boy...


I may have posted this before, but I love it. Sean is drinking the rain.

November 30, 2008

Thought for today

When I write out a check and put it in the offering plate, I used to think, "I'm trusting you with my finances, God." Today I finally realized that what I'm really doing is saying, "God, I trust you to be able to take care of YOUR finances." It isn't mine and and never was...what a relief!

November 29, 2008

Oh, yea, and Happy Thanksgiving, too.

For the last several weeks one of my sisters was living with us. It was a consequence for unwise and rebellious behavior. No phone except to talk to family. No internet. But you know what? A life of punishment doesn't fit my world view. I upheld the phone and internet rules because I respect my parents (and agree with those consequences). I also treated my sister like an honored guest. I was careful not to judge or lecture. I tried to make sure she wasn't too bored being stuck here. I went out of my way to make sure she had what she wanted to eat. I could have made it hell, but I didn't. My excellent husband was with me 100%. And...
I AM ANGRY.
At her.
Yea, I know my previous post was all about not being angry at my sibs. However, THAT post was about being angry at Satan for the lies he's spreading in my family. This post is about being angry at her for choosing to do something that was blatantly wrong in complete disregard of being treated like a human and a guest instead of a prisoner. It feels right, this anger. It doesn't feel good. In fact, when I dwell on it, my head starts to hurt. But it feels right. I'm thinking it's because it's okay to be angry, but it isn't okay to use that anger to fuel resentment and bitterness. So instead of pondering how angry I am, I've been focusing on doing what I need to do to make things right. More than one innocent person has been wronged, my sister has shown that she has no desire to be trustworthy, and it's going to take her a long time to pay back what she stole (not to mention that now she really is a prisoner at home). I guess when it comes down to it, I feel more sad than anything else. I love her and hate to see her wreck her own life (even as I'm angry with her for causing harm to my friends by stealing from them).

In the meantime, a different sister has come to visit me voluntarily. I didn't think she would, although I was hoping against all reason when I invited her. Then she surprised us all, said yes, packed a bag, and came with me! Woohoo! I hope she stays past the weekend, but if she goes home tomorrow, I'll still be glad to have broken through at least one barrier one time. It gives me a sort of balancing stone against the disappointment from my last visitor. God is good, all the time.

Oh, yea...Happy late Thanksgiving, too.

November 17, 2008

reposting from my myspace

Title:
’Cuz you have to rant somewhere
Current mood: blessed
Category: Life

What to say, what to say? I opened this window intending to pour out a lot of rage and maybe some fury.

You must understand this, my dear brothers. Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.
James 1:19 (ISV)

Instead, I find myself repeating the Fruit of the Spirit lyrics from the Doughnut Man.

Do you know the fruits of the Spirit?
If you do then orange you glad?
Yes you feel berry happy
'Cause these fruits will never go bad...

Oh, love takes care of others.
Joy means that God makes me glad.
Peace be still and quiet.
Patience waits- and is not sad!
Kindness and goodness are nice to others.
Faithfulness has faith and hope.
Gentleness knows how to listen.
Self-control knows how to say no.


The rage and fury are still here, I'm just realizing that they were pointed in the wrong direction.

Thank you, heavenly Father, for speaking to me and stopping me before the words even made it onto the screen. You deleted them from my head so that I would not be tempted to post them. You save me from the regrets that always follow unrighteous anger.


Here's why I'm really so angry. Satan, my enemy and the enemy of my family, has been telling nasty lies as usual. Worse! There are people that I love who believe him! Worse still (for me)! I almost got caught up them, too!

Jesus, why does this happen over and over? Guard us, I pray. Deliver us from evil.


What are the lies? He tells my younger siblings, "Your parents don't really love you." He says, "They're only interested in what's good for them." He lies, "You can only depend on yourself, your friends, and the brothers and sisters close to your own age." He lies to the adults in my family, too. He deceives us with, "There's no hope. They'll never change. You are a failure. Why do you pour out your energy and time and love when they won't ever appreciate it?" He lies to us all by saying, "It's too hard to fix it. You're all alone and you can't fix it by yourself. It's too hard. Just give up, and in a few years it will all be past. Then you can go on with your own life."

His lies are endless. He twists the truth around and makes it ugly. He divides, and he conquers.

Yes, I'm angry. I am not, however, angry with the family God blessed me with. We are guilty of being foolish and weak, but we are not guilty of the spite and hatred that has been planted in our heads by our enemy. We are only guilty of those things if we let those lies stand.

I am not angry at the siblings who believe that our mother's discipline is for her benefit. I have hope that someday they will value the good things she teaches.

I am not angry with the sister who says it is "bullshit" that she is loved by her adult siblings and parents. I am FURIOUS with Satan for contriving to blind her to our love for her.

I am not angry with the sister who disrupts our entire family with her rage and uses gossip and falsehood to stir up unrest in our siblings. I am contending and praying for her freedom.

I could go on and on and on. I could write it all out. I think, though, that I've made my point clear.

Thank you, amazing Father, for gently guiding me in Your way. Thank you for removing the fury I felt at my family and redirecting it properly. I claim freedom and truth for my family in your Son's name. I'm believing for Your miracle of release and protection.

If you're related to me and do actually read this...I love you, I love you, I love you. My ears and heart and home are open to you. We are not alone so long as we take shelter in our Father's house. We are not alone if we will stand together as family. It isn't too late, too hard, or too time consuming to build our family into something holy and beautiful. We have His blessing and support. I'm holding onto hope that we'll eventually have each others' blessing and support, too.

Love takes care of others- you would not be a part of this family if we did not love you.

Joy means that God makes me glad- in all of the turmoil, sometimes I forget, but nothing is comparable to the joy our whole family shared when you became a part of it.

Peace be still and quiet
- there's been no peace lately. Can't we take that back from our enemy?

Patience waits and is not sad
- sometimes it's hard not to be sad when I think of the mess our family is, but (as I tell Sean) I can wait with a good attitude!

Kindness and goodness are nice to others
- I'm starting with me. I will be kind and good, enabled by Christ's grace. I will be nice even when I want to shake you until your teeth rattle.

Faithfulness has faith and hope
- I believe that God can and is saving our family from our evil enemy Satan and from ourselves.

Gentleness knows how to listen- I know I'm not known for my gentleness or compassion, but I promise that if you talk to me, I will listen respectfully and keep your trust as the treasure it is.

Self-control knows how to say no- When I am angry. When I want to hurt you for the hurts you cause the people I love (including yourself). When my rage threatens to spill out into words or phone calls. I will pray and figure out exactly why I'm feeling the way I do before I type or say a word. I will listen quickly, anger slowly, and speak slowly. Your heart is more valuable than my desire to vent or rant.

To my family: I love you. I love you. I love you.

November 8, 2008

Hallelujahs Radio

I love Pandora. No, not the the mythical girl with the box full of nasties (and hope!). While I do like her story, I'm talking about Pandora.com.

It's internet radio at it's very best. You sign up (it's free and legal!), then click "create a station." Upon prompting, you enter a song or an artist. Pandora hunts, finds music similar to your choice and plays song after song in that style (you can tell it never play a song again if you hate it's choice, or play more like this if you think it did well). Then it names your station after your initial choice. You can rename it. I named my first station "My Radio," gifted, yes? It's a fun conglomerate of all of my favorite christian bands. Today, though I made a station without considering what it would be called. I think I'll leave it. I was looking for music similar to Chris Rice's song Hallelujahs because Jess mentioned it one of her past blogs, and it reminded me that I love Chris Rice songs. Pandora obligingly made the station. It hasn't played that song yet, but I'm hoping we'll get to it. In the meantime, this is awesome music to have playing through the apartment. I looked back at it to approve a Chris Tomlin song and saw the name of my new station- Hallelujahs Radio. I think it's fabulous.

November 4, 2008

My blog rating

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November 3, 2008

just a note...

Yep, I'm a poor excuse for a blogger. I have pictures piling up waiting to be posted with little stories. I'll get to it soon, I promise.

Meanwhile, I've been reading Jessica Hopper's blog Mourning into Dancing. Jess has some pretty awesome things to say, it's worth the read. I'm still in September of '07, reading towards the present.

September 20, 2008

Recent Pics

Some recent pics of Sean:

Shooting bad guys at Wal-Mart:


Wrangling a wild Zebra toy at church:


Trying on his Grandpa's sunglasses:


A bunny at Dave & Buster's:


Making a wish:


My little gamer:


He even thinks in his sleep:

September 18, 2008

He Tells Me...

I recently had a very sweet few moments with Sean, and a good friend said I should write it down to remember. So I'm writing it here to share with you (all two of you).

Every night I lay down with Sean while he falls asleep. It's a luxury of being an only child that we both enjoy, and we have some very precious conversations while he settles in. The most important part of our bed time ritual is this:
Me: I love you.
Sean: My yuv you, too, Mommy.
Me: And Daddy loves you.
Sean: My yuv my daddy.
Me: I know you do. Do you know who loves you most of all? More than anyone in the
whole world?
(His answers vary here sometimes, and we play a fun game where he says someone loves him and I agree that the person- LaLa, Grammy, Poppa, me- does love him very much, but not the most in the whole world. Then I ask again.)
Sean: Jee-uh yuv me most.
Me: That's absolutely right. Jesus loves you SO much.
(And then we pray together, or I pray, since he usually refuses to talk to Jesus, regardless of the love involved.)

A few nights back, I asked him a new question at the end of our chat about love. Here's how the conversation went.

Me: Jesus loves you SO much. Do you know that Jesus can talk to you?
Sean: Yeah.
Me: Does Jesus talk to you? (after all, if Sean knows He can, maybe He has.)
Sean: Yeah. (he's so forthcoming!)
Me: What does Jesus say to you?
Sean: He tells me.
Me: What does he tell you?
Sean: He tells me he yuv me.

And then he gave me a sweet smile, a sleepy hug, and drifted off to whatever dreams fill his head when he's taking a break from being a 90-miles-minute little boy. I tucked him in and said a prayer of thanks- that Jesus talks to Sean even though Sean doesn't talk to Him in my hearing. It's such a simple and sweet thing, but I wonder, what else would Jesus tell a busy three-year-old boy? What else could be any more important to Sean, or me?

August 25, 2008

Speaking of Music

Karen, over at the Pancake Chronicles, recently posted about a marvelous song her daughter composed. Sean hadn't (as yet) done this. Yesterday...he did. On the way to church, he was watching the rain on the window of the van. Here is my best translation of his lyrics:

Rainwater is on my car.
Raindrops go up.
Go away rainwater-
Yay!

August 13, 2008

Just one click...

For a few seconds every day, I use my mouse-clicking skills to help those less fortunate than myself.
If I feel like boosting my vocabulary, I can play at Freerice.com.

Even if I only have a few seconds to spare, I visit here:
The Animal Rescue Site

The site actually combines several help-with-a-click sites, so without any trouble at all, I can feed animals, children, support literacy and world peace, also support breast cancer research and help save the rainforest. It's a good way to start the day.

It should come as no shock to you that I'm a sucker for animals. I love my dog, but if my husband hadn't wanted a purebred, I'd currently have some mutt from the local animal shelter. I also love my cat, and have since the first meow from my doorstep in LaGrange. She may not be the smartest cat on earth, but she's one of the sweetest and prettiest. It was definitely a good save. I'm not going to hop on a soapbox about animal cruelty right now, but I could. It's something I feel deeply about. On that note, I'm offering you one more link. It's a one-time thing, not a daily click, but you can help with your e-signature.
Pledge to Fight Animal Cruelty

August 7, 2008

A couple of recent pics

These aren't fabulous pictures. I took them with my phone in the dim of the back of our church. They are, however, very sweet pictures in my opinion.

Here's Sean gathered with his friends at church:
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Here's Sean with one of the flags they set out for the kids to play/worship/dance with during the praise part of the service. You can't tell, but a minute before that he was singing and waving his flag. It is so precious that he's actually starting to participate in worship.
Untitled

July 29, 2008

PS

By the way, the best part of Club Live is that you don't spend hours earning points and enter for a chance to win a prize. You do the puzzles, spend the time, and order the prizes. Then you wait. Microsoft ships slowly.

Club Live

Do you love word games like word searches, crossword puzzles, word unscramblers, etc?

Do you have a hotmail account?

Would you like to get some nifty free stuff without paying for it?

Do you have some spare time?

Club Live is the place for you.

I'm currently puzzling (grinding, slogging, trudging) my way to a Kitchenaid Artisan mixer. In the past, I've earned video games and a Xbox 360 wireless controller. Microsoft isn't giving away lame prizes (well, they are, but only to the impatient people who don't save their points up). Sure, it takes time. TANSTAAFL people. Personally, I'd rather give my time for a new kitchen gadget than never get one (face it, keeping my van moving is more important to me than having an awesome mixer).
It also sharpens your brain, heightens your vocabulary, and did I mention the prizes? Free stuff!

Please note: I don't get ANYTHING if you follow the link and play and win stuff. I do really like that wireless controller, though, so I wanted my friends to have the same opportunity to win stuff.

Please also note: Play hard, sometimes they change the prize lineup. I didn't need a Roomba anyway. The mixer is better.

July 24, 2008

This week's pics

I saw this on a car at Wal-mart:
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sean finally decides to wear last year's halloween costume:
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my beautiful comma cat:
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sean's new fish lamp...thanks grammy!
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magnus, my sweet dog:
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sean and i were dozing together, when he randomly asked for a picture. here's what turned out (arm's length, small camera phone, etc):
Photobucket

July 17, 2008

Belle of the Blog: Rise Up with Fists!

I thought this was worth linking to.

Belle of the Blog: Rise Up with Fists!

I just realized...

I never posted my pics from the 4th! I only took a couple, but they were neat. Here they are:
Sean with Sparkler
Untitled

Still Sparkling!
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Sean playing with Kaylin and Alyssa
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And this is from Early June, when I went to TN to see Caitlin. It's a picture of my Comma Cat who, like Karen and myself, rarely ever gets caught in front of the camera:
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July 9, 2008

Update on Pics

For now, see my t-mobile pics here: http://s30.photobucket.com/albums/c330/graceisme/Pics%20formerly%20found%20at%20T-mobile/
even though they're all mixed up and uncaptioned. grr.
more later when i figure more out.

UPDATE: t-mobile isn't evil, merely slow. for now, the sharing function is defunct, but it will be back! until then, i'll try to organize my photobucket album, get some titles on those pics, and keep it faithfully updated.

My T-mobile pics

Thanks, Kare! If I hadn't seen your comment asking where my journal on T-mobile had wandered off to, I wouldn't have known that it had changed! I didn't even know T-mobile had COMPLETELY changed the format for that service. When i went to try to figure it out, it really seemed like they had fed all of my old pics to some cybermonster as a snack. I completely wigged out. I think I would have cried. I found the pics. I'm okay now, and so are my pics. Unfortunately, the new site isn't nearly as friendly as the old site, and I can't figure out how to share the link without giving out my password. I'm working on it. Updates soon with a link to go see my pics, one way or another.

June 20, 2008

A Domestic Triumph

No picture today...I just have to gloat SOMEWHERE. Yesterday, I repaired my dryer! I know this isn't a huge deal, as (I now know) dryer heating elements are a very simple part to replace. Still, it's a victory for me- no huge repair bill and I didn't have to replace my dryer.

In other news, Sean thinks he's Indiana Jones. We play the Lego Indiana Jones game on our PC, and Sean watches, hums the theme song, cheers when we win, etc. He also climbs onto the back of the patio swing, lets go of the top bar, crouches, and leaps to the bar, swinging back and forth on his hands. When I asked him why, he hummed the Indy theme song again. I asked, "You're being Indiana Jones?" He enthusiastically said yes. He is such a marvelous adventurer.

June 9, 2008

Like father, like...

Saturday was Bryan's day off. I had some excellent Build-a-Bear coupons and a little boy who loves to go pick out and make (literally) a new friend. So, we made a plan. Step one - breakfast. Sean voted for "Pih-a-dee-yee" (Picadilly), so off we went. Step two - up to the Mall of Georgia, braving heat (the van's a/c just bit the dust again), crowds, and manic children to procure a very cute black labrador. Sean has graciously conceded to name it Onyx, but still calls it "Puppy." They're all "Puppy," "Kitty," "Panda," or whatever species they are. Step three - back down to Gwinnett to the dollar movie (now TWO dollars! Travesty!) to see Horton Hears a Who, which we enjoyed completely (Sean sat in his own chair, rapt). I heartily endorse it, unlike that abomination that the movie industry dared to call The Cat in the Hat. THAT was a travesty.

The plan went off with just one or two hitches. We had to cram in a bank visit for movie cash. The van's a/c said goodbye. While approaching the Mall of Georgia, I fell behind to throw away a cup. When I got into the blissfully cool mall, there were my guys. They were standing in the exact same pose leaning coolly against the wall. Bryan suggested a picture, so I whipped out my phone. Before I could say, "Smile and don't move." Sean had already rearranged himself into a new configuration. He wants to mimic and be like his dad...just not too much. I can't imagine where he gets this spirit of independence and singularity. It must be some freak recessive gene. Right. Anyway, it's still a good picture, so here are my guys.

June 3, 2008

Sean ♥s Alyssa

My Sean boy is quite a social fellow. He loves to play with older kids and be tossed about and carried and such. He's also developing early friendships among his peers. His particular friends are Kaylin and Alyssa. I realize that this is a proximity-based friendship. We like to hang out with their parents, so Sean hangs out with them. Kaylin is turning four, Alyssa just turned two, so Sean is right in the middle. It seems like a happy place to be. Of the girls, he plays most with Kaylin, who is more dominant in getting his attention. Until just recently, when they were all together, Alyssa kind of did her own thing. And yet, Alyssa is Sean's favorite. For a while, he called the whole family Alyssa. Now it's just her, and no matter the occasion, if Alyssa will be there, she's the star in Sean's eyes. We're going to Monkey Joe's to bounce? We'll see Alyssa? Woohoo! We're going to see Alyssa! We're going to their house? Hooray, we're going to play with Alyssa! Church? I say, "We're going to church to worship God and learn more about Jesus. He loves us SO much." Sean says, "See Alyssa?" I say, "And Jesus." He says, "See Alyssa!"
Don't get me wrong, he's happy to see Kaylin and loves to play with her, too. I don't think any action on his part implies a slight to Kaylin, who is a marvelous little girl. For some reason I can't fathom, though, Sean focuses all of his enthusiasm on Alyssa when the kids aren't all together.
We went to play with the girls last week while their parents went to a revival meeting. I was excited for Sean. Alyssa finally played with him. I took a picture, because they are SO cute. Next time I'll have my camera ready when they hug goodbye, too. That's just beyond adorable.

May 22, 2008

Maria Chapman

Please take a moment to pray for Stephen Curtis Chapman and his family. Yesterday their 5 year old daughter Maria was killed in a tragic driveway accident. You can visit StephenCurtisChapman.com to leave your thoughts and prayers.

I don't believe for a moment that deaths like Maria's are God's will for his children. Rather, they are a consequence of this fallen world. When we pray, "Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven..." I believe we're inviting God to bring his kingdom and his will to us NOW, not just as a final reward. In his kingdom, there is no death, no sorrow, no tragedy. That being said, even when our enemy exerts his influence on our world and brings about tragedy and death, God's grace is more than sufficient to comfort. The peace of Christ that passes all understanding is attainable and always available to encompass and assuage our grief. This is the grace and peace that I am praying for today for the Chapman family, especially their teenage son who was driving.

Please, pray with the millions of others who are grieving for and with the Chapmans, hug your children and savor every moment, and drive carefully.

May 20, 2008

Happy Anniversary

anniversary

Last Saturday was our 5th anniversary. For a refreshing change, we had a good day and wrapped it up with a date alone. Sean's grandma (Lala, as he calls her) took us all out to lunch and then took Sean with her for the night. He's also the happy owner of two new Webkinz, a Persian cat and a cow.

Bryan and I had lunch with them, and then went on an unrewarding video game hunt. Following that, we went to Movie Tavern in Tucker. The concept of the place is really cool. It's a fairly inexpensive (for a theater) movie with real meals available instead of just snacks. Essentially, it's dinner and a movie. Sadly, the food was WAY overpriced (we didn't eat, still full from lunch), and after we paid a whopping $4.50 for a large coke, we found out there are no free refills (fortunately, we didn't really need a refill). The movie was hilarious. I didn't expect Ironman to be funny, but it was.

We headed home and had lunch leftovers for dinner. Sean had his first Mommy-crisis. He had whacked his head before we left the apartment for lunch, and had a pretty rough afternoon from it. Usually, he doesn't give me a second thought when he's with his grandparents, so this was a first. We chatted on the phone, and he was okay. He started the call creaking like a rusty hinge and ended it cheerfully talking about pinching Grandpa with his toes in the night. His Lala took him for a short drive to help him fall asleep, and they had a good night and a good, busy day on Sunday.

All in all, it was a really good anniversary. Five down, forty-five or more to go (assuming we don't die or live through the end of the world, first).

On an interesting note, I met my friend Mara on-line in 2005. As it turns out, she was married on May 17, 2003 as well. Happy 5th Anniversary to Mara and Michael, too!

May 8, 2008

Here's Sean, showing that garbage is a man's job! I was hauling out the trash, and he insisted on helping. He carried his bag all the way to the van without complaint and without scraping it on the ground. I am so proud of him for his helpful spirit!

He isn't smiling, which is rare for him when the camera's out. He isn't really frowning, though. What you see is an intense expression of focus.

May 1, 2008

Dandelions

So this is actually a picture from last month, but I like it so much, I have to post it here:

Sean loves dandelions.

New nephew

Congrats to my sister Hope and her husband Rich on the birth of their third child. Jonathon David White is 7 lbs, 14 oz, 20 inches long. He and Hope are both doing well after a planned c-section.

April 16, 2008

Things Sean Says

There's nothing that makes me laugh like my Sean-boy. A day or so ago, Bryan and were talking about our dog, Magnus.
magnus 12-10-07
Magnus is a coward. He's a sweetheart, but very submissive. In short, Magnus is a pansy who frequently runs from the cat instead of after her. Bryan asked Sean to say, "Magnus is a pansy." Sean's response? "No, Daddy! Magma (Magnus) doggie!" Yes, he is.
Then last night as I was putting Sean to bed, I said, as usual, "I love you, and Jesus loves you even more. He wants to live in your heart forever." Sean said, "Where?" He loves to ask where. He never asks who, what, why, or when. He asks where. I said, "In your heart." Sean sat up, looking stunned, "In it CAR?!" Then, since Mommy was obviously a loon for laughing at such a travesty, he reiterated, "Jees (Jesus) live in it car?" I caught my breath and touched his chest and said, "No, honey. Jesus lives in our hearts. H-h-heart." "Oh," he said, and I could hear the relief in his voice. Even a very little boy knows that a minivan is no fit home for Jesus.

April 10, 2008

A Day at The Zoo

Today Sean and I went to the Atlanta Zoo with our good friends from church. They have two little girls, ages almost 2 and almost 4, that Sean loves to play with. He calls the entire family "Lyssa." Only the youngest child is Alyssa, but this is a minor detail for Sean. After a rousing game of "Circus Clown" last night before bed, I kind of thought the zoo might seem tame. (In "Circus Clown" Sean dons a plastic bag that held circus souvenirs. I tore a head hole and arm holes in it and watch him closely. Once the bag is on, he runs madly about the room shouting, "CIRCUS CLOWN!" at the top of his lungs. This is hysterical to observe.) The zoo, however, proved to be a good time for all. We spent a good chunk of time on various playgrounds, admired the Asian otters extensively, and got to watch the male giant panda climb his platform and scratch his behind. We also got to see bored gorillas posing for photos, an alligator playing "dead log" really well, and two evergreen toads trying to hide under a leaf for some toady intimacy. I will refrain from making any bad jokes about horny toads.

Sean's favorite thing, though, was the tiger habitat. Sure, the elephant was crushing bamboo and eating it. Yes, the lion was roaring and making the earth tremble. Yes, the panda did give us a show. Nonetheless, in my little boy's eyes, nothing was better or more interesting than the tigers. They were sound asleep and barely moved a muscle while we stood there and watched them. Sean pointed them out excitedly to Kaylin, showed them to me, and nearly cried when we had to move on. With all of the excitement at the zoo, my precious boy just wanted to watch the tigers nap. I kind of see where he's coming from. Even sleeping, the big cats are so amazing and powerful. Right now, I'm watching him sleep. He's pretty amazing, too.

One more thing. Our friends have finally been granted their own names by his most imperious highness. As we were leaving, he saw their van parked a tier below ours, and called out, "A-bye, Kisten (Kristen)! A-bye Pe-er (Peter)!" By Sunday, they'll probably all be "Lyssa" again.

April 8, 2008

Starting Over

So, I was reading the Pancake Chronicles today, and catching up on the daily lives of my friends the Butterworths. Karen is SO much more faithful about blogging than I am! So, I think I'll give up my original intent for this blog (I wasn't very good at it) and start putting pics and other amusing Sean stories and family news here.

Stayed tuned...the best is yet to come!