Well, we finally got the snow that the meteorologists have been promising us.
For months now, nearly every week, we would turn on the TV to hear some weatherman predicting a big winter storm for the area. People would rush out to the local stores to buy milk and bread and eggs as if they were preparing for an apocalypse. I have never understood this - what, do people live day to day on food rations at home so if a snow storm were to suddenly appear they would be completely without food or drink?* Anyway, we were disappointed time and time again, foiled by sunshine or rain storms. The snowsuits we had bought the kids during the very first storm warning (back in November!) were stored in the Walmart plastic bag, tags still attached. Personally, I think the local stores made a deal with the meteorologists to announce winter storms every so often to send people into a frenzy, forcing them to run out and buy lots of stuff.
Anyway. Snow showers hit us throughout the night and into the morning, covering everything with a light blanket of snow and creating an extremely rare phrase around here - "snow day." I know my East Coast friends are giggling right now that we get a day off school just because of a little snow. :) But here in the Oregon valley, snow is so infrequent that the cities are not prepared for it when it does come. Also, we are all just a bunch of wimps when it comes to driving in snow. (Not me, of course, I grew up in PA and even roughed it for a couple of years in MA!)
So here's the wintry scene outside my kitchen window (taken without a flash):
And here it is again, taken with a flash, because I couldn't decide which way was better, not having snow for so long and all. What do you think?
I officially heard that school was closed at 6:00 am and was excited to get back in bed and sleep in a little. But it was not to be. I had two kiddos jumping out of their pants at the sight of snow outside their bedroom windows. The other one? Well, he just wanted juice and Froot Loops. . .
Once the sweet girl I usually watch in the afternoons arrived, we got ready to go out and play. This was a more arduous task than I anticipated, especially when the Spud kept removing his mittens and hat every time I turned around. But, hey, those snowsuits were going to finally be worn: I think they lasted about an hour on our deck, shoveling the slush off with spatulas and making tracks with their toy dump trucks and bulldozers. The sun came out, but they persisted in their attempts to make the world's tiniest snowman until everything was mud and puddles. Now we are enjoying our "snow day" indoors, with Nintendo DS's and books and Hot Wheels and hot chocolate. I am seriously considering using this extra "free time" to clean out and organize the pantry.
Happy "Snow Day", everyone!
* I must confess that I made a quick run to the local grocery store on Tuesday night to get some ice cream. We were completely out, and it would have been tough to survive this winter storm without it!
What do you do with clean laundry when you don't feel like folding it and putting it away?
You have a laundry fight, of course! There is nothing quite so exhilarating as fresh-smelling T-shirts flying through the air and landing with a satisfying swoosh on your intended target.
The Drama Queen is master of multi-tasking - she can accurately hurl many items of clothing at one time.
The Beast prefers to use one piece at a time - and the exact same piece every time. Hence, we call him the "Pant Slinger." And in case you get a little carried away and end up hurting someone with your well-placed laundry item, a hug will definitely fix it. Trust me!
Note: There are a couple of drawbacks to this admittedly very fun activity. One, it can be dangerous if you do not make it clear beforehand that items with large buttons and shoes are off limits. Just sayin'... Two, your toddler may remember the next day how fun it was and remove the entire contents of his dresser drawers in hopes that we might have another laundry fight.
Still, it was way more fun than folding and putting it away. And, at the end of our laundry fight, I coerced each participant to pick up a few items, fold them, and put them away. ;) The clean clothes got aired out and put away - imagine that!
Poor little Spud has been running some high fevers this weekend and complaining of a lot of pain. We finally took him in to urgent care yesterday to discover that he has an ear infection and strep throat.
Thankfully he is on the mend, but he alternates between extreme hyperactivity (see photos above!) and sad pitiful tears as the throat pain kicks in. He is not very enthusiastic about eating or drinking - so anything I can do to help him want to eat is worth it. If he wants to raid the pantry and eat Cheerios right out of the box, so be it.
I was up half the night with this little guy, but fortunately today is President's Day - no school and therefore no place to be. :) I'm hoping this is the last of all the sickness that has been attacking our family this winter. (fingers crossed!)
Yesterday, the Drama Queen was having quite the day. Her morning started off in epic crankiness, with tears over which cereal she should eat for breakfast and over which coat was appropriate to wear to school that day. I must admit that it was with great joy and relief when I dropped her off at her classroom. At last, I had some peace and quiet and certainly did not miss the whining! (well, until I went in to teach my junior high Spanish class, but that's another story...)
At noon, I waited patiently in the van for the Drama Queen to come out of school. Soon she appeared, dragging her Zhu Zhu Pets backpack behind her. One look at her face confirmed that her mood and attitude hadn't changed much since the morning. Her teacher came out to the van, but judging by the smile on her face, I assumed that my daughter had not been completely horrible that day.
"I just had to tell you," Miss Adrian said. "I told the kids to get ready to go out to the foyer to wait for their parents. Gabi immediately said that she couldn't go to the foyer today. I asked her why not and she replied, 'I can't go to the foyer because I'm a 'five-year', not a 'four-year.' Your daughter just cracks me up!"
The craziest thing about my daughter's sense of humor is that it is most often unintentional. She says and does the funniest things without realizing it and then usually asks with a pout, "What's so funny?"
I am glad that today was a much less dramatic morning for us. Perhaps the threats of "you'll go straight to bed after school if you don't fix the attitude" or the surprise treat of chocolate donuts for breakfast did the trick.
At any rate, hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I've got to go pick up my "five-year" from school.
It's that time of year again - time to celebrate our loved ones with what else? sugar and chocolate and all things sweet! The Nerd and I took advantage of free babysitting on Friday night (thanks Grandma and Grandpa!) to celebrate Valentines' Day. We ordered food from Chevys' and picked up some chocolatey dessert and movies from the local grocery store. It was a glorious, kid-free time.
Today is the Drama Queen's first Valentines' Day school party. Being a crafty soul like her mother, she wanted to make her own valentines for her friends. We found lots of great ideas at Family Fun and settled on these lollipop flowers.
The petals are hearts cut out of sturdy scrapbook paper, and the leaves were cut out of green construction paper. The stem and flower center was of course a Dum Dum lollipop, and we stuck all the "flowers" into a foam brick for easy transportation. I love cupcakes, and these fun Fruit-By-The-Foot roses were another idea from Family Fun. I am sure the Drama Queen and all her little friends will enjoy these sweet treats.
My other two valentines are home watching Busytown and are thrilled beyond words that Mommy allowed them to have a cupcake for breakfast! Today also happens to be the Spud's half-birthday, and we always celebrate half-birthdays with cupcakes. Luckily, the Spud could care less that the cupcakes have pink frosting. :)
Happy Valentines' Day everyone! Oh, and pop on over to this blog to wish my good friend Rachel a Happy Birthday today!
I was sitting this morning in my favorite spot in the living room. All curled up in the cozy leather recliner with coffee and Bible in hand, I was ready to shake off the last bits of sleepiness and enter the land of the alive and the awake. Something resembling a blue-and-red torpedo came speeding out of the boys' room, propelling itself onto the couch and making loud, not-meant-for-early-morning sounds. The dust cleared long enough for me to recognize the Spud, who was now launching himself from the couch to my chair. "Momma, Momma, Momma," he chanted as he pushed his way under my arm and grinned up at me. He leaned over and planted a sloppy kiss on my cheek as he proceeded to ask me for something. I had no idea what he requested; I was too caught up in the blueness of his eyes, the impossibly long eyelashes, and the sweet kiss he had given me just moments before.
I have found myself doing that a lot lately - getting distracted by the little beings that call me Momma and marveling at the fact that each one is mine. I stare at the physical features that make them a part of both me and the Nerd. I attempt to smooth out the unruly Vasel hair that sticks out all over the Beast's head. I examine the little ears, the sweet button noses, the adorable pudgy cheeks, and the toddler tummies that poke out under the Cars and Thomas T-shirts. Daily, I am amused and awed by the different personalities that God has chosen to give us. I recognize my own stubbornness and creativity in the Drama Queen, while wondering how to help her overcome her shyness, a trait obviously inherited from her daddy. I embrace the quirky behaviors that make our Beast so unique and special and then struggle to deal with the difficult side of the same behaviors. I smile at the the thought that our tiniest offspring has the most "larger-than-life" personality, sharing jokes and pranks and a seemingly endless supply of affection.
So, maybe the Spud will have to ask me the same question again. Maybe the laundry will sit on the couch a little longer before it gets folded and put away. Maybe blog posts that are piling up in my head will have to wait just a little longer before they get typed up and published. That's okay - I don't want to miss a moment of these "distractions." All too soon those chubby tummies will smooth out, and the sweet chunky cheeks of toddlerhood will disappear.
Every day, I thank God for giving me these little reminders of His love. This Valentines' Day I reflect on all the love showered upon me, and I conclude that surely I could not be blessed more. My little Valentines are a welcome distraction, any day of the week!
High fevers. Runny noses. Strep throat. Swimmers ear. Painful diaper rash. Way too many kids' videos. Trying to keep track of five different medicines for five different people.
Yep, that about sums up the past five days or so in our family. The Nerd missed work, and we all hunkered down fighting fevers and congestion and exhaustion. Good times.
Apparently the party's over. I've got two hyper little boys racing each other up and down the hallway, and they've already been at it for an hour or so.
Excuse me, I have just been assaulted with a flying Buzz Lightyear. Happy Monday, all!
I have been MIA the last week, not only from my blog but also from my kids, hubby, and usual daily responsibilities. I had the privilege to be able to fly to Florida to be with my brother and his family as they celebrated baby Jack's life and said a "farewell until we meet again" at his graveside.
The memorial service for little Jack was held on Saturday, January 29. The sunny skies in southern Florida could not have been a more perfect shade of blue that day, but inside the house, as we prepared for the service and dressed the little girls for the day, the mood was quiet and somber. The older girls nervously practiced their song for the funeral and recited Psalm 23 over and over. My brother paced the floor, studying some papers and no doubt thinking and feeling a thousand things that I myself would not be able to fathom, having never lost a child to Heaven.
When we entered the church to honor baby Jack's memory with a special service, I was not prepared for the sight of the tiny coffin placed at the front of the auditorium. A flood of emotions welled up inside me, and tears fell for the little life cut so short. My oldest nieces sat with me, sobbing softly when they saw their little brother so calm and peaceful . We took heart as the songs "Held", "In Christ Alone", and "We Will Rise" were sung and as the healing words of Scripture were read. Three of my nieces stood in front and bravely sang "Are We Down-hearted?" and recited Psalm 23. My dad spoke of his own memories of my brother Tom as a little baby and of his deep sorrow at Jack's passing. Tom spoke also - loving and meaningful words that fit the occasion as only Daddy's words could.
"On behalf of myself, my wife, and my family, we’d like to thank all of those who are here today. I know there are some watching over the ‘net, with some perhaps staying up at a very late hour in Korea. I’m also really glad for all those who came in today – some of you live here, others from a vast distance, from the foreign shores of New Jersey.
We’re here today after what seems like an eternity, but really was less than a year. I have six wonderful girls, and I love them all dearly. But no matter what, I can’t deny the joy I had when I found out that I was having a son! I know that many of you joined in the excitement.
Eleven weeks ago, we were surprised by the early arrival of Jack. With most of our kids coming late, this was a big surprise, and we were certainly concerned, especially when the doctors told us that his survival chances were low – only one day after he was born.
But Jack was a fighter – in fact, he was a fighter until the end. Apparently he inherited his father’s stubbornness. He contracted E. Coli twice, and came back each time, but eventually just wasn’t able to make it, and God called him to be with him.
What an amazing time these past two months have been, though! I have gotten probably a thousand emails and cards from people all over the world. Everyone was praying for Baby Jack Vasel! I heard from dozens of countries, and so many folks passed the word.
Did it fail? Were all those prayers in vain? They certainly weren’t! This is a day of sadness, but let me tell you some good things I can share with you. You know I like lists, so here’s one for you.
1.) Jack didn’t die that first day. In fact, over the last couple of months, both my wife and I were able to hold him several times, and our three oldest daughters also got to hold him the night he died. So many folks don’t get to see their babies, we got to share two precious, wonderful months with Jack.
2.) I saw so many people come together to pray for baby Jack. There was unity at our school, unity at the church – I heard from people who I hadn’t heard from in decades! Jack died young, but his effect on the world was greater than many others who have lived long lives.
3.) This is not a day of sadness for Jack! I imagine he’s looking down on us, smiling as he sees us all crying and sorrowful. He’s done with pain! He’s done with sadness! He’s done with crying! He’s done with death. The Bible is clear on this subject. And I weep today, and will likely do so much in the months and years to come. But we don’t’ cry for Jack – his journey is over! We cry for us, because we will miss him – because we will have a hole in our hearts. I won’t get to see him grow up, to see him graduate, to see him get married and have kids of his own. But it doesn’t matter – he’s in a better place – a place that makes this one seem terrible. And no matter what, he’ll always be my son. Ask me how many children I have – I have seven. Six girls, and one boy waiting for me in heaven! I shall see him again.
4.) I hope to see many good things come from this day. If today has made you consider your own life, and your own future, then I’m content with Jack’s current state. If I see one soul won to Jesus Christ, then I’ll still cry – but with joy in my heart. As much as I want to see Jack some day, I also want to see and every one of you. And if today makes you meditate on that, I’m glad.
There is so much thanks to give, but I have a few I want to single out.
- I’m part of many different communities, but the board game community has rallied around Jack like I’ve never seen before – in fact, many of them are watching right now. But the deluge of cards I’ve gotten from this international community has been amazing. Thank you guys!
- A good chunk of my life was spent in South Korea, and I’m so happy to have made such lifelong friends there – especially at International Christian School and Uijongbu Baptist Church. We’re thousands of miles apart, but technology has allowed us to remain close.
- South Dade Baptist Church and Colonial Christian School. We’ve only been here eight months, and already you treat us like close, close, family. Well, maybe you did that after one day! We’re glad to have people to lean on here.
- My friends from college and others – some who have come from a long way, some who I managed to hang out with over the last fifteen years – thanks for your friendship and support.
- Pastor and Mrs. Long
- Parents, brothers and sisters
- My fantastic wife
Fanny Crosby
The strong, triumphant spirit of American hymnwriter Fanny Crosby was an inspiration to everyone who knew her. Even though she was blind from six weeks of age because of improper medical treatment, she never revealed bitterness or depression. At one time a well-intentioned minister remarked to her:
“I think it is a great pity that the Master, when He showered so many gifts upon you, did not give you sight.”
“Do you know,” replied Fanny, “if at birth I had been able to make one petition to my Creator, it would have been that I should be born blind.”
“Why?” asked the surprised clergyman.
“Because when I get to heaven, the first sight that shall ever gladden my eyes will be that of my Savior!”
I shall know Him, I shall know Him, And redeemed by His side I shall stand, I shall know Him, I shall know Him By the print of the nails in His hand.
I agree, I want to see Jesus first some day.
But the next person I want to see will be Jack."
A short time at baby Jack's graveside followed, and then there was celebration and fellowship with friends and family at the reception. I met dozens of Tom's church family members, people who had wrapped their arms around his family and showered them with love, kindness, and support during this difficult time.
The memorial service was an important step in the grieving process for Tom and Laura and all the people affected by the short but meaningful life of Jack. However, the road ahead will not always be easy, especially for Tom and Laura. Now that all the visiting family has gone and returned to their normal lives, they have to do the same, surrounded by memories of a little boy that wasn't meant to be theirs for very long. I am sure that daily there will be moments that happen and words said that bring to mind baby Jack and cause the tears to fall again. Little by little, God will heal their hearts and bring peace, but I know that they still covet your prayers for this time.
I love you, big brother! We are always here for you and are praying for you and your family.
