I guess it's our motto

It's amazing how a small, seemlingly simple moment can change your life.

Mr. Reliable was in Maia's office hanging out when one of the young missionary students came in and asked to borrow Maia's cooking stone. She quickly agreed, producing the aged and seasoned stone with a gentle reminder that it was valuable to her and to be careful with it. Mr. Reliable and Maia returned to their conversation as the student left the office. Moments later a crash was heard from the kitchen; Maia froze. Both of them knew what had happened: the cooking stone was gone. At that Maia, rather than curse and berate the girl, looked up at Mr. Reliable and said, "People are always more important than things." And then went to help pick up the pieces of her broken treasure and assure the sweet girl who had broken it that everything was okay.

That moment, years ago, has deeply impacted our family. It may not seem profound, but this statement has taken root in our very souls. It's the core of how we want to live and what we want to pass on to our children. People are valuable, far more valuable than a fancy vacation, a nicer car, or even a precious cooking stone. I guess it's our motto.

Boots

My older boy is turning 3 on Saturday!

I cannot believe that this precious baby is really a preschooler!

He just learned to sit up yesterday, didn't he?

At least he still sleeps with Shine Shine Bear!

He's not a baby anymore.

He's a smart, funny, energetic little boy!

And I love him even more than I did the day he was born.

Happy Birthday Boots!

Bringing Up Boys

I'm not really a big "Focus on the Family" fan. Someone gave me the FOTF Baby Book when my older boy was born and a lot of the things that are important to me (cloth diapers, natural birth, midwifery, breastfeeding, the list goes on...) were dismissed as old fashioned or even dangerous. So I haven't used them as any sort of resource since then. Until recently, that it.

I finally got around to picking up the copy of Bringing Up Boys that my Mother-in-Law gave us a couple years ago. To say that I was skeptical would be an understatement. I was pleasantly surprised by what I found: a mostly balanced view on how to teach boys to become good men. Most chapters included in depth research, which was rather important to me considering the rash conclusions drawn in the only other Focus on the Family book I had read. I really enjoyed the studies on the differences between boys and girls. The book looks at many of the challenges facing boys and their parents today and offers practical advice on how to avoid some of the most common pitfalls.

Just like any book, there were areas I don't particularly agree with, but all in all it was a good read!

And the more I read the more thankful I became for Mr. Reliable, who is a great man and an excellent father.

5 thoughts

1. I made the most wonderful protein bars this week (they came from Passionate Homemaking) ; everyone who has tried them adores them.
2. Now I just have to figure out how to cross things out without deleting them.
3. Mr. Reliable is plugging away at the academy; already 5 of the 30 cadets have dropped out. They spend most of the day outside, doing drills in their turnout gear (in 100+ temperatures). Most of the guys have quit because it's to hot and/or hard. Maybe they didn't think this whole firefighter thing through... because most people would assume that fighting fires is both hot and hard.
4. I have read Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? At least 8 times this morning, and will probably read it again as soon as I finish this post.
5. I got a job! And I love it! I've started waiting tables on the weekends to help make ends meet while Mr. Reliable is in the academy. It's really fun to get out of the house and relate to other adults!

Have a happy Wednesday!

Room Time

Room Time is the #1 sanity saver in my day.

It's pretty simple. Each boy goes to a separate space (Boots in the bedroom and Snugs in the pack & play) and plays all alone for 30 minutes.

Here is a little glimpse into my life before we re-instated (I have no idea why we ever stopped) room time:

It's 4:45 and both boys are crying. The little one because he just got tackled by the Boots. Boots tackled his brother because I couldn't read him a story while I cut the veggies for the salad. I walk into the living room to try and fix things, but neither boy wants to be in my lap with the other. So I alternate between the two (neither satisfied) until Mr. Reliable walks in at 5:30 to see our messy house, teary faces, and dinner that's not quite ready.

Now instead each boy goes to his space at 4:45 and I do my final dinner prep, pick up the living room, and take a few minutes to sit my myself. When room time is over at about 5:15 the boys are so excited to be reunited, they act like they haven't seen each other in weeks and play together happily until their daddy arrives at 5:30.

It works perfectly; except on days like yesterday, when Mr. Reliable didn't walk in the door almost 6. On those days I just remind myself that someday this will all be funny.

a year and a half.

It's been almost a year a a half since we left Asia to clear our heads and "figure things out." We're settled, I gave birth to our second baby, we bought a house, and have a new career on the way, but my head is no clearer and I've figured nothing out.

A good friend recently told Mr. Reliable that he has felt that his time in the ministry is a race and he has always vowed to finish well; not knowing wether that finish line is at the end of his life or just around the corner. Mr. Reliable later explained his feelings to me this way:

"It's like I was running a marathon. I was doing well, keeping a steady pace the all of the other runners, not struggling to keep up and not running far ahead, just running well. Then, when I closed my eyes for a second it was gone. Not as though I had finished the race, but like it simply vanished. There was no trace of the race, so sign of the other runners, and no markers for the course. I couldn't find any evidence of it at all."

He put into words exactly what I have been feeling for the last year and a half. I just keep hoping that as we move on with life, we'll find more than just proof of some race, but maybe we'll stumble onto the... I was going to say prize, but that's not really what I'm looking for. The truth. Maybe we'll stumble onto the truth.

He Did It!

He did it!

Mr. Reliable is officially a fire cadet!

2 boys with fevers are calling my name; but I had to share my excitement!