A Day to Play

I had four marvelously free admissions to Strong Museum of Play. Aunt Leta and Lucas were invited and, on one fine day, we went. Lucas is two and Josh is three, so being full on inquisitions, they entered the Museum on their toes. Lucas would've spent all morning looking at the fish in the giant fish tank just past the admissions desk, but Josh, who had been to the museum on February, was eager to get on to the good stuff. If you live in the Rochester area and have kids of any age, the Strong Museum is a highly recommended place to go, although it can get pricey if you cannot get a deal somewhere. The boys wanted to see everything and go up every ramp, but their favorite place was probably the "sand" box. Leta and I got a good break from chasing them while they sat and played in the beads. Josh got the grand idea of making snow angels, which caught on with the some of the other kids. Lucas was psyched to ride the train. Josh wanted to shop at Wegmans and Leta and I couldn't wait to go into the butterfly garden. We spent three plus hours traipsing through the rooms, exploring and investigating the ways to play. Lucas was fond of pitter-pattering over the pirate bridge. I almost lost Josh while chasing Lucas through Story land. (Leta was taking a break.) And then we finally made it to the butterfly garden. Josh stood so still and carefully so as not to squish any butterflies. He looked like he was having a horrible time, but he was just trying to be careful. There were butterflies everywhere and little Dr. Suess-type birds running down the paths. I was able to hold a butterfly, but Josh didn't seem impressed. But he was impressed with the carousal we rode on before we left the museum. I was impressed with the picnic lunch we ate on the grassy curb of the parking lot and the grass stains that I got on my shirt... Maybe not the last part there, but we had such a great day together, Josh, Lucas, Leta, and I. Good times.

"Cast Party"

He picked orange. Orange is a good color. It's bright, cheery, and eye-catching. And when you are three years old, you want your cast to be eye-catching. The Doctor at Orthopaedics determined that Joshua did have a buckle fracture in his thumb. You know how your thumb has three little bones? It's that middle one, near the lower joint, that has the fracture. Josh has been such a good sport, and for having a broken bone, he hasn't complained much at all! He answered the Doctor's questions very plainly, telling him where it hurt and what happened. He's pretty excited to show his Dad his cast and I'm sure he'll be the most popular kid at preschool tomorrow, for at least the first 1/2 hour. On our way home from the Doctor's this afternoon, Josh and I stopped for ice cream. It was a little "cast party" treat.

It's All Thumbs

It started with a spin on the computer chair and a fall onto the floor. After a bit of crying and a brief inspection, a kiss seemed to heal the ailment and the day went on. It was a warm morning, and Josh spent most of it outside running through the sprinkler and watching his Daddy clean the car. The earlier occurrence all but slipped my mind until lunch time. He was exceptionally crabby and tired, which I attributed to the late night storm which kept us all awake last night. I helped him wash the lunch off his face and then from his hands. When I grabbed his right hand and wiped it with the cloth, he put up quite a fuss about his thumb. It was now quite swollen and purple around the joints. Could it be broken? At this point, Josh was so tired that even if it was broken it would have to wait. So I wrapped it in a make shift splint and put him in bed. A couple hours later he woke up in pain, and since it was Memorial Day, I took him up to Urgent Care. He was so good and brave. They took X-rays, which showed a possible small fracture. Because they couldn't determine whether it was fractured or not, we have to follow up at Orthopaedics tomorrow. Tonight Josh called me into his room so I could look at his thumb. It must have been throbbing, poor little fellow. It is currently in a splint to help keep it from moving. I guess we'll know tomorrow whether it is actually fractured or not.Will they put it in a cast if it fractured or only if it was broken?

Can you see which thumb is bigger? You can't see the bruising in this photo, but it is there. He's such a brave kid. :)

Hooray!

I finally got him! I had to wait while his packet was transfered from the Canadian office to the US office. I've only been waiting for, like, forever!!! His name is Anjelo, though his family calls him Viki (pronounced Feeky). He turned four in April. I am rather excited to receive his child packet in the mail so we can send him his first letter and a photo of us together. Josh has only wanted a friend from Indonesia for almost three months now and I am so hoping that as the two of them grow older, that they can write to each other. I have such a different picture of his life in my head than my other sponsor children, because I have actually been to his home and met his parents. He's the youngest child that I have ever sponsored and I know he's not even in school yet, but he is already benefiting from the local Compassion program. Compassion International allows Christians from across the world to get involved in a childs' life, and help them overcome poverty by introducing the child to Jesus Christ. Not only do they teach children about our Savior, Jesus Christ, but they also help them with schooling, skill development and nutritional needs. I am grateful to God for allowing us to make a difference in a child's life from across the globe.

Sponsor your own child through Compassion International, releasing children from poverty in Jesus' name.

His Ways Are Not My Ways

I have a feeling that they'll go up and down. My feelings about it, that is. I really am very thankful. After all, I could have none. I am counting my blessings and trying to keep that in the forefront of my mind. But once in a while, I still feel the familiar longing in my heart. The twinge of jealousy. (Shame on me! Back you snake of jealousy!) I know this summer will have it's difficult moments, especially as the months progress. The bigger they get. I caught myself staring at them yesterday. There were three of them in one afternoon. Why do there have to be so many?? And then there are more. At church, at my second job, at family functions, at the grocery store... And yet, I remind myself again, I still have mine. Snug in his bed, with his arm around Cat, sleeping away the little-boy-dreams.

It was always my dream to be a Mom. A stay-at-home Mom to a brood of children. Growing up in a large family has left me with fond memories of my childhood, though not all was fun and games. We had our share of squabbles and fights. But I still always imagined myself with about five kids. At least four anyways... After all, five was a small number when seven was the norm. Yes, I would have a large family and my children would have siblings their own age to keep them company. Yet sometime during my high school years, I lay in my bed at night wondering what the future would hold for me and a thought drifted through my head. I found myself suddenly paralyzed with fear that I would be unable to have children. I don't remember if I actually cried real tears, but I was crying inside because that was all that I really ever wanted, to be a Mommy. I remember praying to the Lord that He would allow me to have children and now, as I look back, I wonder if that was His way of letting me be aware that life doesn't always unwind the way you expect it to. His ways are not always what we plan them to be. And at this juncture in my life, I am struggling to let go of my idealic dreams and embrace what He has planned for me, for us, for my family. I know I will struggle with letting go, but I am also excited to see what the Lord's plans are. Having more children is not the only dream I have ever had and I wonder what the Lord is going to do with my life. It's an exciting prospect.

"My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,' says the Lord. 'For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9

Schlumpish

Blogging schlump. It's spring time. We are supposed to be having endless days of spring time enjoyment. Perfect weather, gardens to play in, warm sunshine, and... rain. And I have no blogging motivation. Maybe it's because I no longer blog for myself. I always feel pressure to captivate my "audience" with an interesting tale, woven with vibrant colors, intrigue at every step. Well guess what! My life is not always that exciting. It is day to day filled with little wonders, that may not captivate you like they do me. Would you be captivated by my very first ever asparagus stalks growing in my garden? Probably not. Or how about a sweet little nose snuggling your cheek while riding in the back of Grandpa's truck? Maybe eating absolutely authentic Mexican food for the first time this year, a whole two minutes away from home? If any of these things strikes your fancy, let me know! Maybe we have more in common than I thought. (PS I need a gardening buddy. Not someone to garden with, but someone to talk about gardening with. It's a therapy for me. And I need some picket fencing to go around my garden to keep the dogs from ruining my plants and stepping on my sprouting asparagus. This is a matter of prayer.)