Summer Fun

Learning Songs in Devotions

I'm going to let you take a peek at our family devotions. I think it is a constant struggle to get together consistently and make these times profitable. At the end of some of these times together, Doyle and I wonder if we have done any good. Recently we tried a couple of different ideas. We both realize the importance of music and wanted the children to memorize the songs that would stay with them through life. We concentrate on the same song until we feel like it is memorized and then move on to another one. We go back and review the past one so it is not forgotten. We have been pleasantly surprised. It is so exciting to hear them sing these songs. Joseph is 3 and can sing "Trust and Obey." I know he doesn't understand it all yet, but I don't know when he will. As parents, we will keep singing songs, memorizing Scripture as a family, and praying to God that it sticks in those little minds. We have also used a prayer chain to keep prayer request visual. When we have a request, we write it on a colorful piece of paper. We give the paper to different family members on different days. When God answers that prayer, we staple it together on our chain. This allows our kids to pray for different needs and to see just some of the many prayers God answers.

The Scare of a Missing Kid

I had something crazy happen about a month ago, and I have just decided to share it. I have this awful fear of losing one of my children. Sometimes I can almost ruin a good time by constantly checking to make sure all of the tribe is in one location. Doyle and I have a system to make sure the bases are covered. If we separate in the store, we say, "I have 1 and 3, you have 2 and 4." We number the kids or call them by gender. "I have the girls - you have the boys." We are pretty good at communication.

I was in the store with my friend, Rebecca. I had dropped the girls off at a party and the boys were with us. I'm sure this wasn't their first choice of a fun afternoon, but I wasn't going to be in there long, so everyone was cool. I had just taken Joseph to the bathroom and I was looking at the shoes. Joseph likes to walk around and meet me on the other side. Since I am working on not being so protective, I have allowed him this privilege. He left the aisle and I waited for him to come around. When he didn't come, I thought he must have found something to look at on the other side. I glanced around the corner, and he was not there. I started looking down the aisles and couldn't find him. This is when I started to panic. It was not a huge store. Samuel and I went in different directions and began our search. I told Rebecca and the sales clerk. She began lockdown. I was at the front of the store when I heard a little faint voice call, "Mommy." I ran to the back of the store and there he was. He was coming out of the restroom. He was very upset, and had one thing to say to me. "Mommy, you not come wipe my bottom!" I still can not believe he was able to get the heavy door of the restroom open and I do not know why he decided to go by himself. He had never done this before. I was so glad to see him and so frustrated that he had pulled this stunt. I didn't know whether to hug him or spank him. But since I was so glad to see my little fellow, I hugged him and said, "Don't ever leave Mommy like that." Would you believe that he didn't get it. He just kept saying, "Mommy, you not come wipe my bottom." The only thing he could think of was that he had done his "duty" and I had not done mine. Well, I found out that you can not reason with a 3 year old with an unwiped tail. I went back to the bathroom,(3rd time a Bozone had visited this facility in just a short amount of time), cleaned up my guy, and decided he should stay belted in the cart for the rest of the time. It sure made my blood pressure rise. It also reminded me that he is not ready for too many privileges at this point. The following Sunday he started to leave our pew. I asked him where did he think he was going. You know what he told me. He had to go out in the van for something. I don't think so. Doyle and I have decided to keep and eye on our little Mr. Independent.

The Hair Salon

I thought these pictures would bring a smile to your face. We have now opened a place to have your hair done. That is, if you would like it done the way a kid does hair. I found my kids doing this. They had a towel draped around Joseph's neck. They sprayed water on his head and combed away. Since he loves to have his hair played with, he thought this was great.

Of course, Julianna and Samuel had to do Lydia's hair too. They were using a spray bottle with a fan on it and I was waiting for the fan to get caught in her hair. Samuel called me to the "shop" and said, "Look, mom, She looks like that guy on the hundred dollar bill." First of all, I was impressed that he knew what one of those things looked like. The more I looked at Lydia with her new hairstyle, I had to agree that she did favor Ben Franklin. He had taken her ponytails out and her hair was sticking out. We have been working with the kids to learn to laugh at themselves. When Samuel said this, Lydia said, "I'm not crying mom." I think she realized how funny it was. By the way, I let them do my hair sometimes but I don't think it is necessary to post those pictures.

Happy Father's Day

JULIANNA'S JOURNAL

Julianna is our 10 year old gal. She is our first born and likes that status. She will be in the 5th grade this fall and loves school. She enjoys an academic challenge. We are very proud of her accomplishments and remind her that it was God that gave her the abilities she has. She has been taking violin lessons for 6 years and piano for 3. This past year she added band. Doyle has her playing bells and other percussion instruments. She is very organized and likes structure in her life. When school let out, she thought we should put our plans on the calendar: water day on Thursday, craft day on Wednesday, etc. Since I like being organized, we get along well. We do have to work on being flexible.

She loves God and really wants to please Him. It is rewarding to see her having her devotions and growing spiritually. She is very good at making chocolate chip cookies and enjoys shopping with me. We feel privileged to have her as our girl.

Julianna has very long hair--it comes to about her knees. We bought her a book for her birthday with hairstyles for long hair. We tried a new one yesterday called the rope braid. It turned out pretty neat. When we went to the store, a woman came and asked her if her hair was real. We got a kick out of that. Julianna thought it was funny to think about buying a wig that long.

Recently when Julianna was playing a game and wanted to do something else while she played the game, Doyle explained that she could not do both things at the same time. She had a response, "Oh yes I can Dad, I'm a woman." We have to learn sometime, don't we ladies.

SAMUEL'S SITE

Samuel is our 8 year old guy. He is all boy and loves the outdoors. He is always bringing baby lizards to the back door to show me. I'm amazed at how he can catch these critters. Samuel will begin 3rd grade this fall. He does well in school and we are very pleased with his love for God. I really value the times he comes to share the details of his day with me. He wants to do right and is very sensitive to be honest.

Samuel recently saved his money for "Heelys." It takes him awhile to make up his mind but once it is made up, he feels good about his decision. They were pricey so Doyle and Samuel did a lot of research before buying. The big day came, but when he got to the store, he was 3 dollars short. Dad paid the last remaining bucks, but Samuel would not even put them on until he had come home and worked the money off by doing odd jobs. I saw him out there pulling weeds and my heart was happy.

He went into a store with me last week. We left the rest of the family in the van while I "quickly" checked out the bargains. He could tell that I was having trouble leaving the store and said, "Mom, if you will close your eyes, I will lead you out." You have to love a kid that is so helpful.