mom's angels..and mischief-making

The gang and I have been spending as much time as possible outdoors these amazingly beautiful days.

The kids have been busy growing, playing, and reasoning on their own level. Cami made a Smoky.Bear fire hat at school and told me of her responsibility with fire safety--and fashion. "Mom--if there's a real fire, I'm going to quick grab this hat and put in on and then get out of the house and help Calvin and Jude get out." And while we were watching the Hus.ker game on t.v. (which Andy was attending), she asked, "Which team is Daddy playing on?" (He is quite the stud.)

And Jude is getting to be a sweetheart and often slow dances around humming a little sing-songy tune with a carefree expression on his face...until the 3-year-old enters the room and causes some sort of discord. He gives really precious kisses (usually sticky with food or nose goo), and last Sunday was passing out kisses to all the church nursery ladies.

And the Calvinator? I really don't know where to begin, although I do wish to rescind my sweet-as-honey remarks about him previously, as he has proved he belongs on the opposite end of that spectrum...perhaps it's the rebellious things he does like stomping barefoot in some spilled fertilizer that I told him to carefully avoid--or mysteriously retrieving the gallon bubble container from a high shelf and dumping it completely out on the driveway for more stomping. (I was okay with this one since it was rotten from "someone" who dumped milk in it a few months ago.) He loves his trike so much that he drags it up steps and through doorways to ride in the house. "Mom, are you impressed?"

Most of his boyish bits are lovable, but the disciplining...*sigh* I am thankful for comic relief when his mischief catches up with him...like today. Have you seen those cider vinegar fruit fly traps? (Plastic on top, they get trapped and die in the vinegar..) Well he was intrigued by all the dead fruit flies floating around in the cup and somehow thought it was a good idea to taste it--it does look like apple juice, minus the fact that it was saturated with half-decomposed bugs. After hearing a shriek of horror, I look over to a pity-evoking, frantically sobbing child who "burned his tongue" on apple cider vinegar...laced with dead fly germs.

Even on the exhausting days, I am crazy about all my little hooligans and the huge gift they are from the Lord. It's amazing to me how the Lord uses these incredible blessings to mature me in my walk with Him...and cause me to realize my great need for His grace and wisdom in rearing them.