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.

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.

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.

Happy 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!

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.

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.