Thankful

This is a toilet in a public park my students went to for a field trip. NOW - aren't you thankful your toilet doesn't look like this?

WANTED for Larceny...

So, I have to tell this story before it gets too old to tell. Two weekends ago we played at a church in Greenwood, SC. It's about an hour and a half from my dad and stepmom, so we went to see them on Friday night and Saturday. Note: They live in a fairly small town (Union, SC) where everyone knows everyone. Almost.

Fast forward to Thursday night. My stepmom calls me and seems a little awkward on the phone. Not normal. She asked us if we had gotten gas when we were there in Union. "Yes" Did we go to the Exxon on corner such and such.. "Yes" Did we get $46.02 worth of gas. "Thomas - did we..."I don't know."

Then she said, I was reading in the newspaper today and... (read story below)

Gas drive-off

Another larceny under investigation occurred just before 2 p.m. at the Exxon station at 101 North Duncan Bypass. The investigating officer was told by the victim a tall black male in a silver SUV had drove off without paying for $46.02 worth of gas. The vehicle, which turned out to be a 2004 Chrysler Pacifica, had Tennessee plates. Officers searched for the vehicle but were unable to locate it.

So, Thomas and I started to breathe a little less easy as we tried to recall the events of Saturday. Yes, we got gas just before leaving town and we may have filled up all the way. Thomas even went inside and picked up some drinks for the trip. Did Thomas use his card? Yes. He slid it once... no gas... slid it a second time - gas tank turns on. Did we get a receipt? Not sure where it would be if we did. Therefore, we checked our bank account and found a $46 charge for an Exxon. No location listed. After a quick call to the bank, we were disappointed to learn the Exxon charge was for a Nashville Exxon and there were no charges from any Exxon's in Union. So, we assumed it must be us.

I was so afraid they would surely throw the book and whatever else they could find at us since it was a small town. However, Thomas called the following day and spoke to a gas station clerk. She said they completely understood and that the mistake occurred because the cashier turned the gas tank on when she noticed his card was not read. However, she failed to intercom and let him know - therefore, he was under the assumption that he had used his card and it had been accepted. Anyway, the good ending is that they let us pay over the phone and had no further requirements or inquiries. They also confirmed they had a license plate number and it was indeed ours!

The adventures with Thomas and Dita just keep rolling. Next adventure is planned - a quick yet easy birth in about 5 weeks. :) Woohooo...

All Things Jrew

Okay, so this post is all about Jrew and his "toddler" like behavior he's been showing off lately. I just can't believe it sometimes... I stare at him as if he will magically appear as a small baby again in my arms. I dream of the moment when I saw his little face for the first time and how he smelled so heavenly. I wanted to kiss every piece of his little face and sleep with his cheeks as close to mine as they could get.

I love him so much. Unbelievable. 2 or 3 years ago, I might have said I understood the love between a parent and their child... or even a mother and her child. Yet, I had no clue to how much love one can hold in their heart. I pray for God to protect him 24 hours a day, 1440 minutes each day, 86,400 seconds a day! I pray that he will grow up in the knowledge of God and will love people like Jesus did when he walked this earth. I am so richly blessed.

As baby girl makes her way into this world in 8 weeks, I know that God is preparing Jrew to be a sweet brother filled with love for her. He loves the babies at daycare, can't get enough hugs, and can't give out enough kisses... complete with the "MMMM-AHHH" sound. Such sweet kisses.

So, here below I have jotted a few things Jrew has been up to. I hope you enjoy reading about this inquisitive and amazing little boy.

* Earlier this week, I went to pick up Jrew from the CDC (Child Development Center). The teachers all but said he was a genius. Well, in their words they did say "He's a thinker" and that he was always impressing them with what he was doing. On this particular day, Jrew had three little ducks in his hands, along with the lid to a shape box. The lid had four holes in it and Jrew had placed each duck in his own little hole. He would pick them all up again and put them back again. As a teacher I think: "One to one correspondence!" That's a Kindergarten skill. Heehee.

* Jrew found my computer cable the other day on the couch rolled up. He decided to carry it around the living room with him and took it over to the electrical outlet. Even though he tried very stubbornly to get (correct end of the cord I must say) the cable plugged into the wall, he realized it was plugged up already with safety plugs. He proceeded to begin picking at it with his finger on the side and was desperately and smartly trying to get it unplugged from the wall. I stopped him but who knows how long it may have taken him before he would have had that safety plug out. Seriously.

* Jrew can now point to his nose and eyes. I ask him to show me where his nose is and he points to his nose, then goes directly to the eyes. So cute... he squeezes his eyes closed as he point to them with his finger.

* Jrew has a little fake cough he likes to try out every so often. He kind of clears his throat with a purposeful "eh-eh-eh". I smile and say "stop that faking" and he just laughs.

* He is a track runner people. He can run so fast. However, he is like a kid on roller skates because he doesn't always know how to stop with grace. He also thinks it's funny to bump his head on things... gently but then laughs for the smiles.

* He does not take a pacifier or even suck his thumb. He did this all on his own about 2 1/2 months ago. He just quit taking a pacifier and that was the end of that. I couldn't find one now if my life depended on it.

* Jrew will often pick out a book for us to read to him and bring it to us. Then, when you are reading it to him, he will point to each picture, animal, etc... in the scene and wait for you to tell him what it is. He quickly points to something new and waits again for the name.

* He hardly says any real words, although he will sometimes say words for a few days at a time and then chunk them out the window. I guess he's not interested. So, instead he babbles nonstop. He will even respond to questions with babble, and pretend to talk on the phone with babble. He can say hello but only if he playing "phone". Otherwise, you can forget it. He waves to people he really connects with, but never to strangers. Weird... he just will not wave. He will HOWEVER, blow a kiss to just about anyone.

* He is an imitator. He has a toy with a handle on top and when you push the handle, it plays music. Thomas was trying to get Jrew to come to the toy and play with it. Instead of leaning down, Thomas just pushed on it with his foot a few times. Jrew came quickly and immediately tried pushing the toy handle with his foot too. My, my, my.

* Jrew sleeps really well at night (for the most part) and goes to sleep pretty well. He had a rough week about 3 weeks ago, but now he goes to sleep without almost any rocking and no music.

* I'm out of energy. I'll think of more stories to share soon. I promise.

PS - Quick update on baby girl... I am 32 weeks measuring 29 as of a week ago. I go every two weeks to the doctor now. She is moving around so much, I think she must be a little stinker. I have had some different discomforts with her that I didn't have with Jrew. But, that's alright. She's worth it all.

Welcome to Fall!

So, it has been insanely busy around here. It really feels like the second half of my pregnancy is flying by. So, now I am actually about 10 weeks away from my due date. Whoa... exciting but frightening as I am not technically ready (or my house rather) for a new baby. Emotionally though, we are sooo excited about meeting Baby Girl.

I wanted to update with some pics of Jrew! Also, one of the million things on our to-do list lately has been to get our CD released!! We had a CD release party last weekend and it went great. We are so happy to be finished with this year and a half project.

Anyway, here are some pics of the sweetie! Enjoy!

Walking, Talking, and Using Keys

So, Jrew is officially a walker. I should've posted this like a week ago, but it took me awhile. Sorry, I'm a little slow. So, I've put three fun memories into one video.

Clip 1: Jrew walking into my messy kitchen and back into the living room. (The lighting turned down so it may look a little weird in spots).

Clip 2: Daddy and Me introducing Jrew to a slide. He wasn't too sure about that and ended up just hating it altogether. Even though daddy never took his hands off of him and mommy was standing right there too. Oh well, better luck another day.

Clip 3: Jrew has somehow figured out what a key is meant for. He plays with our keys all the time, but this time he decided to try them out on the door. Hilarious.. I have no idea how he knew to do that. But, he did first when I was at work and then again when I was home last night. Love my baby!!!!!

The video is too large, so again.. it is a link to You Tube. Enjoy.

Baby Jrew's Movie Debut

I started back to work last week and we have been in inservice meetings just about every single hour of the day. So, in preparation for Monday's meetings, the administration assigned each of us a topic to give a small presentation on Monday morning. My assignment: how our counselor teaches character education to our students along. How he teaches: he helps the kids make videos of skits they have made up that teach the current topic such as Being Responsible, etc.. So, with Thomas and Jrew's help, we created the following video. :) Enjoy! Following the short movie you will see a short video of Jrew walking!!!! Hopefully.

Here is a link to the video since it was too large to upload here.

Everything?

Psalm 56 -"God, you did everything you promised, and I'm thanking you with all my heart."

Yes. God did everything he promised in Matthew 6:30. He has provided food, shelter, safety, love, clothes, etc... for my family. He really has blessed us with everything we need. My problem today is this: do I need to be thankful for everything really? What happens if today I am not thankful for something. Something that helps provide for my family yet pulls me from my time with Jrew at the same time. In a day when many people are in search of a good job that will provide for their families, I should be thankful. I teach in a wonderful school, with amazing people! I should be happy right?

Honestly, as I pour out my little heart right now, I am having a hard time saying thanks for all of that. It was a tough day in my heart. The reason? It was just a busy day... filled with many good things for me too. A good day at work with my colleagues, a sweet visit with my friend Deanna as she helped me set up bulletin boards, and a night of worship with some awesome kids we have been privileged to work with at camp. However, the one good thing I missed out on today was meaningful time with my firstborn. I saw him, hugged him, loved on him, and ate dinner with him. Yet, I still had a very hard time letting go of him tonight as I lay him down to sleep. I think he felt the same way. So, we just rocked... for a long time. My sweet darling.

So, right now, I am praying for God to help me be thankful for today; for my job; for the amazing and talented teachers I work with; for the fact that my job is something I love to do; and for the fact that my son was safe with his father today. (who also had a long exhausting day). I must not feel sorry for myself, but instead see and know how much God has truly blessed me. I am thankful. I just needed to remind myself. I also do not want you to pity or feel sorry for me. I think I am doing exactly what God has for me to do right now. I am thankful for that.

"He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God." Psalm 50:23