It Never Ends

The growing up of our munchkins never ends.

Here's proof:
C-Man got a cell phone a couple weeks ago.

Little I is learning to swim.

Miss B is looking older by the hour, I think.

NoBo recently had his first dentist appointment. It was a NIGHTMARE, but it's over!!! Here he is playing in the waiting area before the appointment.

Kinder, Gentler

Cowboy and I marvel at the kinder, gentler side of our sweet C-Man. Yes, his 10-year old voice is getting deeper by the day. Yes, we see peach fuzz above his upper lip. Yes, he STINKS TO HIGH HEAVEN when he forgets his deodorant. Yes, he gets annoyed with his siblings and lets it show.



However, he has a very special bond with NoBo. He is tender and gentle in a way that many would think not possible for a pre-adolescent kid. We know he is going to be such an amazing dad some day. Until then, we're just grateful for the wonderful brother that he is.

Ten Years Ago Today

10 years ago today Cowboy & I woke up Miss B and got her dressed in her red, white, and blue to welcome her baby brother on Flag Day. We got ourselves ready and out the door while it was still dark.

10 years ago today I was hooked up to monitors and such as I began to have my labor induced, for what we had already decided would be our last child. One girl, one boy. Couldn't ask for more.

10 years ago today I was in shock when our nurse, who was a sweet friend from church, said to C-Man while she was checking to see how far my cervix was dilated, "C-Man, that's not funny. Let go of my finger."

10 years ago today I labored all day, then had the doctor tell me that I had 20 minutes to try to push. If nothing happened, C-Man was coming via emergency c-section.

10 years ago today I was operated on for the first time.

10 years ago today C-Man entered this world as a fat, beautiful baby with a very swollen arm, which had been stuck above his head in the birth canal for quite some time. His cord had been wrapped around his neck, which explained the dangerous decelerations his heart rate was having.

10 years ago today, not long after my swollen abdomen was stitched up and I was allowed to go to my private hospital room, I informed Cowboy that we had to do this again.

10 years ago today we were blessed through the birth of our amazing C-Man. He's a breath of fresh air to me!!!

Tender-Hearted Boy

This evening Cowboy and I took C-Man to church to meet with our pastor about C-Man's baptism this Sunday. Our pastor wanted to make sure C-Man understood the significance of his baptism and needed to make sure there were no unanswered questions before the big event.

After all the details and discussions of baptism were over, our pastor asked C-Man if he had any other questions. C-Man asked him what happened to young children who hadn't asked Jesus into their hearts and died. Our pastor gave him the answer that I've given him before. Our understanding of God and His love leads us to believe that those children will be in heaven. I don't think our pastor knew exactly what was on C-Man's mind, but I had a hunch.

I asked, "Are you concerned about Little I?"

Yes, he was. How precious is that?

Catching My Breath

Sometimes the change in our kids happens so gradually that, unless you go away for a few days, you don't seem to notice it.

At other times, though, the change happens so fast that it takes your breath away! That's the kind of change C-Man's had lately.

A couple days ago from the back seat of the van I hear, "Mom, my pits stink."

Being the great mom that I am, I holler back, "We've gone through this before, C-Man. You don't need deodorant yet."

When we arrived home he insisted that I smell of his pits. I did so expecting not to smell anything except that wet puppy dog smell that little boys have after playing outside. WHOA! Was I ever wrong! He had REAL STINK--manly stink! He proudly washed his pits and applied his daddy's deodorant to his pits.

Then, Last night Cowboy calls me to say he and C-Man have left baseball practice and are heading to Wal-Mart. I can't imagine why they would need to go to Wal-Mart so late at night. (I'd already been twice this week--what else could we possibly need?) Cowboy then informs me that C-Man was playing catcher during practice, stood up (without knowing any better) and took a ball to his almost-personal region. Realizing he didn't want C-Man to have a closer call than this, Cowboy decided to take C-Man to buy his first......I can't even write it! He's such a grown boy!!!

SIGH...what's a mom to do when her first boy is wearing deodorant and other items? Thank goodness he still kisses and hugs me!

This is Why I Taught Him to Read

The whole family was running errands together today. I hear laughter from the back seat. Then C-Man speaks up, "natural gas pipeline. It's a fart pipeline!"

When I taught this kid to read when he was 4, I had no idea he'd use his gift to keep our whole family in stitches! I love his sense of humor and fresh outlook on life.

C-Man's 1st Cavity

Well, today it happened. The dentist found C-Man's first cavity. C-Man was in hysterics by the time Little I and NoBo woke up from their van nap and Miss B & I decided to head on in to the waiting area with the little ones until our cleaning times. I went into the room and spoke with him. He was so upset, wondering how bad the cavity would hurt. I explained, just as the dentist and hygienist had, that the cavity was not hurting him now, but would eventually cause major problems.

Because our dentist, who's a friend of ours, practices on the other side of town from where we live, I decided to have him fill the cavity for C-Man today. I have to say it's absolutely hysterical to hear the descriptions of what laughing gas is doing from an 8-year old boy who's never had it before.

"I don't like this feeling." I tried to remind him it was going to relax him.

"It feels like I'm in bed." Well, he was lying down in a chair but I knew he wasn't speaking of that. I really believe he was speaking of that I'm so tired and have no idea what's going on feeling.

"I don't like the sound." I couldn't figure that one out. I think it was making a hissing sound.

"I don't like how it makes me feel." Good--maybe you'll never look to foreign substances to numb you. (I didn't actually tell him this, but I thought it).

Then we got to the numbing stuff. He didn't enjoy this either.

Next came the shot. C-Man kept asking Dr. R, "What are you doing?" The good doctor was wise enough to not answer this question as C-Man kept asking. Instead, he and I continued with our conversation. At one point he told C-Man he was probably just feeling a little pinch. After the needle was out, he informed C-Man that he had just put the tooth to sleep. A few minutes later C-Man said, "I can't feel my tooth." Dr. R reminded him that he had put his tooth to sleep.

C-Man then began to panic about when Dr. R was putting the cavity in. This made me crack up. He was told that the cavity would be taken out and a filling would replace it. C-Man was given the choice of tooth-colored filling or silver filling. He chose silver.

I'm sorry to say that this probably won't be his last filling. I'm afraid he may have my teeth. I now have a mouth full of silver as evidence of past cavities. Cowboy has the good teeth--not a cavity until adulthood. Seriously, it makes me sick!

That's all for today--just ramblings of fillings and such.

But...it does make me think of the pain of sin in our lives. When sin makes its home in our hearts, it decays us. When we recognize its presence in our lives and ask God for forgiveness, he comes in and does the sometimes painful job of drilling away the decay. Although our sins can be easily forgiven by God, there are still consequences we have to live with. Sometimes the drilling seems to be slow. We wonder if we'll ever get out of the chair and on with our lives. Other times the drilling seems to be done quickly, but with no numbing. The best part is what God does with that spot after he drills away the decay. He fills that crevace with His grace and mercy. The pain of wrong choices is taken away and in its place is a deeper, more real relationship with the Creator of the Universe. I just love living in the shade of God's mercy.

Psalm 40:11

Do not withhold your mercy from me, O LORD;
may your love and your truth always protect me.