Sunday Art

Sunday afternoon is a quiet time in this house. The 3 youngest generally have a nap. The 2 oldest find something quiet to do. Sometimes I take a nap, sometimes I read, sometimes I play a game with the 2 oldest.

On this particular Sunday I put all three to bed. Since all was quiet I decided to take a walk--taking my I-pod with me. Lindsay tagged along and Eric hung out with his dad at home. Just over an hour later I got home.

The 2 younger boys came upstairs and immediately I noticed that those 2 looked rather chipper--the typical groggy grumpiness that clings to them after they get up from a nap was strangely absent. A thousand alarm bells were going off in my bed. So I went downstairs, and THIS is what I found.....

I would have you know that I did not yell. I did not get mad. I did not lose my temper. I just stood there with my mouth hanging open. I came upstairs and that's when the boys were looking a little afraid...and defensive. The blaming each other started immediately, but I recognized the art work. The little one can't write letters in yellow and draw stick men and the older one is too advanced and proud to resort to scribbling. Really, the situation was easily remedied. Discipline was meted out. The boys were each given a wet rag and they knew exactly what to do.

Jessica

I would like you to meet Jessica. She is a little fish (who could very likely be a male for all I know) that belonged to my oldest girl. Lindsay loved this fish. In the entire time span of a whopping 4 1/2 weeks apparently they became inseparable. But today they are indeed separated--a sink drain, a maze of pipes and perhaps a unknown lake separate 2 dear friends. Today, after several days of mourning, I have been given permission to break the silence and tell the awful tale.

When Dan and I were in Mexico, Lindsay went out for a 'girls night out' with one of my friends. They came home with a little red beta fish, complete with bowl and food. The fish was promptly and lovingly named Jessica. Doesn't it look like a Jessica?

When we got home from holidays a few days later, I was rather surprised to find that we had acquired a new pet. But seeing as the work involved sprinkling a few bits of food on top of the water and cleaning the glass living quarters once a week, I really didn't mind. I had kept 5 kids alive so far...how hard would it be to keep a fish?

The fish thrived. Every morning Lindsay asked me if I had fed it yet. Sometimes she fed it, most of the time I did. Every week we diligently cleaned out the bowl. Things were going well.

Then...(I need a tuba to emit some sombre notes here) one morning it was time to clean out the fish bowl. All the children gathered around--some perched on the counter, others crowding around on chairs. I caught little Jessica and put her in a cup of water. I proceeded to soap out the bowl and as I was rinsing it out, the 3 year old felt he was purposely being denied a good viewing of the events. In anger, he grabbed the cup and hurled it and its precious contents into the sink.

There...there lay Jessica flapping helplessly right over top of the drain hole opening. I lunged at the little red fish, but she slipped...she slipped...
Down...

Down...

Down...

the drain.

It was silent. We all took some time to comprehend what exactly had just taken place. 5 heads peered into that sink simultaneously...10 eyes were riveted on the triple holed drain. In 15 seconds a friendship was shattered. (insert a very slow, dramatic violin piece here)

Lindsay responded first. Oh what came out of her in that moment can only be described as a hysterical wail. Oh how that girl sobbed. To make matters worse, one of her 'practical' brothers made comments that, well, were true, but oh, SO not helpful. ("Lindsay, you're not going to see your fish again...")

We had often talked to Lindsay earlier, warning her and explaining to her that generally fish do not live long. It took a bit but she did understand that the fish would die one day. Unfortunately, we forgot to warn her about the random spontaneity of a three year old's temper.

I felt quite badly for the girl. I took her to a separate place, held her and tried to talk to her. No, her fish was not dead. Water constantly goes down the drain and ends up in a big lake of some sort. Through her tears she asked me if Jessica would have enough food to eat. "Of course," I replied. "There is all kinds of bacteria and edible morsels down there." Next Lindsay asked if Jessica would be alone. I responded in the negative, telling her that I'm sure that there are more fish down there that will keep her company. WRONG ANSWER! A look of horror filled Lindsay's face. "Mom! Jessica is a Beta fish and if she she's another Beta fish they will fight...and I don't want Jessica to fight. She might die!" Well...I asked Lindsay if she remembered how big Pigeon Lake was. it was unlikely that Jessica could find another beta in SUCH a big lake. We kept talking and after about 30 minutes Lindsay calmed down.

We finally got settled to do school again. Lindsay opened her Math book and this is what she reads.....

Bill had 14 goldfish and 8 guppies in his fish tank. Bill has how many
more goldfish than guppies?

Then there was a picture of a whole bunch of fish swimming in a tank. Needless to say, the fragile seal broke and the water works came gushing out again.

Lindsay will be getting a new fish. We have asked, however, if she can wait until we have moved, just in case the new fish doesn't handle 'transport' well. Lindsay has agreed. Since then, she has faithfully spoken of her fish everyday. Such a friend is apparently not quickly forgotten.

And even I must admit that I miss the little fish too. The clean bowl is sitting in my room, the marbles still resting on the bottom of the glass bowl. I miss seeing Lindsay's excited reaction to the fish and I thought that it was a rather pretty fish too. Believe it or not...I'm already looking forward to having Jessica 2.

Pals

What once began as a rather strained and painful relationship has turned into an inseperable duo. Whether eating a cookie, or looking at a book together, these 2 will often be found sitting side by side. The 3 year old has even been known to jump into the playpen just to hang out with his little sister.

Poured Out

I wrote this piece a couple days ago. I wasn't sure whether to post it or tuck it away. Obviously I made a decision. This wasn't written to sound 'preachy' but rather stemmed from a realization that hit me square between the eyes. We are all so short sighted sometimes...

We go to work.

We clean our house.

We complain about the weather.

We update our facebook status.

We pay our bills.

We take a walk.

We raise our children.

We mow our lawn.

We visit friends.

We play a computer game.

Regular, daily life always before us; a thousand little things that make up our day. But there's a whole lot more going on in our day...many things we don't even realize...

Consider your parents who have poured themselves out for you on your behalf. They have prayed for you. They have, unbeknownst to you, battled Satan, the world, and your own unwilling sinful heart--all of which sought your eternal demise. Your parents faithfully kept you under the preaching of the Word. They drove you to catechism, week after week. They read and explained the Word to you from your earliest years. If you have godly parents I do not doubt that they STILL pray daily for you. Can you see, today, what a work was well underway for the sake of your soul before you even knew of the Lord? They have, and still do, pour themselves out on your behalf.

What of our pastor? What does he do week after week, day after day, year after year? He sits in his study for hours on end, studying, preparing sermons...for US. He visits us. He corrects and encourages us. Have you ever considered the hours that he has spent praying for us? Is that not humbling? As we go about our day, often selfishly and completely self absorbed, there is a man pouring himself out on our behalf, for our eternal well-being.

And our elders? They accept a job they are not trained to do. They leave their families and their warm comfortable homes evening after evening to strengthen and encourage YOU in the Word. Your elder takes time to pray for YOU. They take an interest in YOU for your eternal sake. They give their time, their fuel, their energy, their attention all for YOUR edification.

Do you realize that it's YOUR name that's being brought forth to the very gates of heaven? Yes, by your parents, your friends, your elder, your pastor. And while heaven is being stormed on our account, while people are working, pouring themselves out on our behalf, what are we doing? I'm not going to answer that. I daresay we're all far too wrapped up in this world and ourselves to realize the immensity of it all.

Consider our precious Lord Jesus Christ. He left the grandeur of heaven to dwell among men. Our Lord did heavenly work in the trappings of earthly flesh. He healed, comforted and rebuked. He, though often tired, taught those who hungered for TRUTH. Every second on this earth He poured Himself out for sinful man...for US.

Then, after perfectly pouring Himself out for us, after perfectly following His Father's will, he was forsaken--by the Father, by the disciples, by His followers, and if we were there, we would have forsaken Him too. He travelled the road of the cross alone. He felt the full wrath of God, right down to its very dregs. And now, no hell...for us.
Dissolve my heart in thankfulness
And melt mine eyes to tears.

And the Holy Spirit--how aware are you of this blessed Person? The Holy Spirit who wrestles with us day after day... How sad (and ridiculous) when we think the Holy Spirit can be summoned--perhaps in worship or when we're feeling especially chipper. Do you ever think of the Lord? That is the work of the Holy Spirit. Do your sins ever overwhelm, discourage or disgust you? That is the work of the Holy Spirit. Do you feel compelled to pray? That is the work of the Holy Spirit. Do you cling to Christ? It is because the Holy Spirit has taken your hand and joined it to Christ. The Holy Spirit strives with you every day. He was poured out...for YOU.

Today our precious Christ still continues His work for us. He who has His Father's ear and affections...the Exalted One whom is praised by ten thousand times ten thousand heavenly beings,

"Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive
power and riches and wisdom and strength and
honour and glory and blessing!"

He who sits on the throne, equal to his Father, still pours Himself out on our behalf. He prays for us...yes, He utters our name in the presence of God and the angels! Does this not move you?!

Oh sing and pray and read and meditate! Berate your slothful heart for being so consumed with itself. Oh what pains are being made daily on OUR behalf, unbeknownst and often unrecognized as we go about our daily business. So much work...so much effort...so many pouring themselves out for you and me. Let it not be in vain! let it not be counted against you on that Great Day. Fall down and PRAY! Then pour yourself out for others and for the Lord. What other response can there be?

The Sokilizer

It was a beautiful day today. March 31 and 9 degrees outside. The windows were open and the spring breeze was wafting through the house. You just don't realize how stale the air in your house gets from those winter months until you get that spring breeze blasting through. Saturday or not, the work could wait and I was going to enjoy some fresh air.

All 5 kids came with me. We stopped at the park for awhile where Courtney got her first ride on a swing. She rewarded me with peals of laughter. Of course, I didn't bring my camera. We left the park and since we were all enjoying the weather so much, we decided to keep walking.

I took them on a longer loop through our neighborhood--to a part where we seldom walk because of the distance. Half way down Paul, with a long drawn out lament, sighed,

"Mommmmm...you're wasting all my energy..."

Me: "Well...isn't that the point? Keep walking."

After watching the tread from the bottom of his boots create a great deal of friction with the pavement for far too long (Pick up your feet son! Those boots gotta go through at least 1 more!) Paul spoke again.

"Well...I guess it's OK...I actually took my Sokilizer with me. It has just a little bit of energy in it that I can use. I think it will get me home."

Me: "Oh good Paul...you use what you need because I'm not going to carry you."

We got home just fine. Paul never spoke of being tired again. That Sokilizer was exactly what he needed--it put an end to the complaining, it made my son feel manly and he was as cheerful as could be. YAY for the Sokilizer!!!

I could end the story here. But I think a little more deserves to be said. I'm betting you don't know what a Sokilizer is, do you? Are you just pretending you know what it is--not wanting to voice your own obvious ignorance? I bet you don't want to admit a 4 year old's vocabulary is superior to yours. Well, I swallowed my pride and decided I was going to find out what it was (thinking it to be some 'vital' object in the realm of super heroes or space and all such nonsense...) Later that evening I went online onto Wikipedia and looked up 'Sokilizer'. Turns out it's not even a word.

Our Trip to Mexico

The trip started on the Friday evening. My in-laws had come over for supper and I had decided to put the kids to bed before we left. Lets just say I may have had a bit of a hard time with this...and...I may have cried just a bit...ummm, yup...just a bit when I gave a few last snuggles and good night kisses and a few extra bedtime stories.

We left around 8pm from our house and made our way to my parents' place. We were going on the trip with my parents and leaving for the airport at 2:30 am. Since I don't have a spare bedroom and we didn't want to ask the in-laws to show up at that hour, we decided to sleep at my parents' place then head to the airport with them at 2:30 am.

I must say, in terms of avoiding traffic and congested airports, this time of day is an excellent time to fly. If you value sleep, I don't recommend this type of travel at all. By the time we hit the tarmac in Puerto Vallarta at noon, I was surviving on 30 minutes of sleep from the previous night.

The door to the plane was opened and we descended the stairs to find a few buses parked on the tarmac. We got on the buses for a 2 minute drive to the terminal. Then we stood in line for about an hour and a half before getting through customs. We picked up our suitcases which were already pulled off the baggage belts and placed on the floor in a pile. Then came the trek through the airport. We made our way through a set of doors and got assaulted by a barrage of time share people. TOTAL CHAOS! I do not handle chaos well at any time and certainly not when I an operating on 30 minutes of sleep. They literally got right in your face, stopping just short of physically pulling you to the side. There must have been at least 50 of them--all hollering at you at the same time.

We needed to find a taxi to get us to the resort. Thankfully, this was all old school for my parents and they flagged down the right guy who put us in a van and sent us off to the resort. I enjoyed the ride immensely, taking a good look at the countryside and city about me.

By 3 we got to the resort. I was so impressed by everything I saw. It was rather surreal. I had never seen such...such...extravagance (really, probably the best word I can use to convey exactly what I thought at that time).

We checked out the pool area then headed to the room to unpack. I hate living out of a suitcase. We got settled in the room then met downstairs for a cappuccino and some nachos and cheese since the last we had eaten was 7am breakfast on the flight--and we all know what airplane food is like!

That evening we ate at the buffet which in itself was incredibly impressive. There were 8 buffet tables laden with food. They had a bread station with at least 15-20 different kinds of bread. there was a salad table, a 'build your own salad' table. There was an appetizer table, a dessert table. There was a table for pasta and at least 3 tables that held the hot food. I tell you...it was overwhelming! In addition, if you couldn't find anything to eat (ha ha..but seriously) there were also 3 cooking stations where you could ask them to custom make you anything at all. All this was slightly overwhelming. We tried so may new things. I discovered that I LOVE duck. I found out that octopus tastes rubbery and lamb is delicious. I have seen shrimp cooked in more ways than I ever imagined. All of these buffet tables were filled for every meal of every day--and every meal was different too! And sometimes I struggle to make a simple 14 day meal plan for my family.....

In addition to the buffet,, you could make supper reservations at 4 different restaraunts--a Mexican restaraunt, a Japanese restaraunt, a Steakhouse, and a Fusion restaraunt. During our stay we tried the Steakhouse (excellent!) the Fusion restaurant (very good) and the Japanese restaraunt (ummm...we laughed like crazy, built some great memories, then headed straight to the buffet once we got out of there).

Every night there was an hour of entertainment. That first evening we saw a production called Mama Mia--a theatrical dance production using many ABBA songs. We quite enjoyed it! Another night we watched a Michael Jackson show, there was a Carribean show, a Mexican show, a circus performance...every evening they had something. Anyways, 11:00 came quick that evening and we more than happy to hit the hay. Apparently a fireworks show lit up the sky at 11:30 that night, but we didn't hear a thing. We were far gone by that time.

From there on in, most days looked the same with slight variations. I was always up first (surprise!) In fact, the latest I was able to sleep in was 7:21 and that was the first morning--probably due to the lack of sleep the previous night. But back to a typical day. I got up first, grabbed 4 towels and headed down to the beach. I would 'secure' our chairs for the day by laying the 4 towels on them. We always took the seats that overlooked the ocean, our backs to the pool. We sat under an awning that kept us shaded (3 out of the 4 of us prefer the shade) and all day we could look at the waves crashing on the beach. But, back to a typical morning.

After I secured our seats for the day, I headed up to the breakfast buffet and grabbed myself a coffee. At first I sat by the beach, but I soon realized that the waves were rather distracting. Also, I prefer sitting at a table when I read. I took off to a quiet corner overlooking the beautiful gardens where I read for a good 1-2 hours every day before everyone else came down for breakfast. I must say, this was my MOST favorite time of day. Nothing compared to the quiet calm of the morning. Precious few people were up and breakfast was not yet being served so I had found a solitary place. Lacking a pen and paper, I had to resort to bookmarking pages with strategically placed empty sugar packet wrappings to write pieces down later. On Sunday mornings I took the I-pod down to the beach with with me, and I did sit by the water and listen to a sermon there.

Usually by 8 the others were down for breakfast. We would wait for each other and grab breakfast when everyone was present. A lady stood by one of the stations and would custom-make eggs/omelettes for people. So yummy!! I fell in love with her mushroom, green pepper, onion and ham omelette. Dan always got 2 over easy eggs. My mom always got porridge--apparently there were several pots with different kids of oatmeal and the like. My dad usually ate toast with smoked salmon on it. In addition there were pancakes and French toast, quiche, bacon, sausage, ham, cinamon buns, croissants, TONS of fruit and on and on and on...

After breakfast Dan and I would head back up to the room to lotion up change into our swim attire. I'd pack a bag for the day and we'd go down to our chairs. Usually we'd read or chat for awhile, then Dan would head for the pool and I would head for some activity the entertainers were putting on. I played quite a few games of volleyball and boceball. Dan and I both took Spanish lessons and did some rifle shooting. We both got second place in the shooting--Dan for the guys and me for the girls! At around 12;30 -1:00 (believe it or not, there were NO clocks in the entire resort aside from the alarm clocks in the rooms) we'd go up to the buffet and eat a light lunch. Then we'd go back to our chairs and sit for awhile. Next we'd take a swim in the pool, or in the ocean, or go for a walk. By 4 my in-laws would call and we'd talk to the kids for a bit. Then we'd head back up to our rooms for some quiet time until supper. Often I would sit on the balcony or take a nap. Sometimes we'd head downstairs to a huge sitting room where a fellow played on a grand piano situated in the same room. He played for 2 hours everyday and I LOVED just sitting and listening.

Around 7 we'd meet up for supper. All the cooks and waiters lined up and clapped for the first 10 people to enter the dining/buffet room. The spread, of course, was very impressive! After supper we walked to the entertainment area of the resort and often sat on the veranda and chatted. As we looked up we could see the night sky and feel the warm night air. Some nights we played cards in the sitting room, but our evenings always ended with us sitting outside on the veranda.

And of course there were a few variations to every day. We would do a bit of shopping for souvenirs. We took a tour of the kitchen (They go through 5000 eggs a day!!) We walked to other Riu resorts located along the same beach and checked the grounds there. We witnessed a wedding on the beach.

All in all, it was a wonderful 9 day holiday! It certainly was never boring for there was so much to do all the time. We never left the resort to do any additional trips because we never felt the need to. I was able to finish 3 books and watch 6 sunrises. I came home feeling refreshed and with a new sense purpose again.

Quotes

I found a near crumpled up paper sitting on my microwave yesterday. I was in one of those moods when I like to throw everything away. Thankfully I did not for on this paper it said.....

PAUL: My stomach doesn't feel like eating stir-fry. It feels like eating muffins.

ERIC: I hope I don't marry a girl who likes to shoot birds!

SETH: I don't need to pee on the toilet. I need candy.

PAUL: This is how much I love you...all the way from the police car to the sticker.

PAUL (on a toy phone): Hey Collin, you're invited for supper that we're not eating.

LINDSAY: Oh mom, Eric and I have been playing that game for years and years and years...

SETH: I don't want to be a goat.

LINDSAY: Is there a prison for ladies?
ME: Yes.
LINDSAY: Like for ladies who hit boys with their purse...cause i did that.

ERIC: I fell asleep almost right away last night. I only read 50 pages in my Garfield before I was too tired.

SETH: Mommy go to Mexico. Daddy stay home with me and eat bacon and eggs.

ANONYMOUS: Mom, I didn't wear any underwear to church today.