Boys and Bugs

Since there has been quite a bit of rain lately and we have lots of dirt, it's been all about bugs lately.  I have several holes dug in the backyard I have been asked not to fill in because they are good worm spots.  Thomas loves digging and studying worms.  Benjamin loves anything Thomas loves.

Today I found them here:

they were quietly (what?!) huddled together (again, amazing!!) behind the hot tub in today's prime spot.  It was precious and made my heart so happy!

A Hailstorm

We had a crazy hailstorm last week.  It was suppose to rain all day, but the sun came out and the blue re-appeared.  We headed out to run a quick errand in our flip-flops and short sleeves.  Got about a mile away and were right under the dark grey clouds.  The rain started, then it got heavier.  On the way home, we drove through a little hail storm!

When we got home there were patches of white everywhere!!!  Thomas was so excited.  He collected a bucket of it to keep in the freezer until daddy got home.

Benjamin was into the excitement as well, especially the mud puddles.

Using that finger to show me the hail and then later a plane!

Checking out all the hail!

More on Boys Being Boys...

These Matlock mini-men are into all sorts of things these days...

Pulling weeds

 Thomas has a list of chores to work on now and Benjamin likes to get in on the action as well.  Look how proud he is, and how he checks to see what Thomas is doing as well.

Playing in boxes

Check out this sweet smile


Hiding in cabinets

 Ben discovered our bathroom cabinet just like Thomas did when he was this age.  When they really get into this game it'll be forever before they have had enough.  It so fun to hear them laughing and talking their own language and just being brothers.

I just read this blog on "Training our Boys to be Men" and was instantly excited and a little afraid that I have to raise men!!  How do I do this?!  Could thing I'm married to a manly man who can teach them.  but here's to sending them off onto all sorts of boy things and boy explorations....

Oh Lord, please keep them safe, teach me not to worry and trust you through the broken bones that may come!

Peeing in the Yard

Boys will be boys, right?!  Oh my, it's always an adventure.

Last week, we were outside taking in all the sunshine we could before the rain started.   The boys are doing great playing together and need my help less and less everyday, so I took a book with me.  Now, you must know, the yard is boy safe, so when Ben wandered off around the corner I didn't think too much of it.  When he was there for a couple of minutes, I asked Thomas, "What do you think Ben is doing?"  Thomas ran off to go see.

Now, when it was quiet for another few moments, I got up to go see for my self.

I found Bailey, Thomas and Benjamin all gathered around the birdbath.  Bailey was drinking the water.  Now, it hadn't rained yet, and I hadn't watered.  It was almost as if Thomas could read my mind and knew I was wondering why there was water in the birdbath.

Thomas announced, laughing, that Bailey was drinking my pee!!!

I freaked out inside.  All girlieness screaming over the grossness of the situation.  Bailey stopped with my outloud, "NO!!"  Thomas was laughing.  Benjamin was watching.

With a calm voice, while thinking am I really saying this outloud, "Thomas, it is not funny that Bailey is drinking your pee."

We then had a conversation about the proper places to go pee.  His little brother is watching after all!!

Boys are an adventure.

Treasure Chests

So Thomas' birthday is just a short two and a half months away. For me that means it is time to start planning a party. Now Thomas is old enough to help pick the theme and even some of the activities. A couple of weeks ago we were talking about it and he announced that he wanted to have a dinosaur party. I have to admit I was disappointed. Dinosaurs, really, what was I going to do with dinosaurs. The party is all about me and my creativity after all. Well, I sucked it up and realized it was his party after all and I would just go along with it (and he had plenty of time to change his own mind, or for me to change it). Well, he has changed it, at least for today. As of today, we are having a pirate party. Complete with a treasure map, hunt and chest and the possibility of a not so scary, Captain Hook and his little friend Mr. Smee. Now, this I can get excited about. As Thomas and I were out back collecting rocks and worms, we began to discuss just what might be found in the pirate chest. He was so full of fun ideas.

Now, with this in mind I began to read this post,

http://www.itakejoy.com/treasure-chest-of-the-soul-one-cannot-give-what-is-not-there-part-1/. I love it when God is ironic and starts to reveal common themes to change your heart or teach you something. Sometimes these themes pop up for months before I begin to see the lesson. Other times they pop up as I am learning the lesson. Today it came in the same day. As I've been thinking of a pirate chest to fill up with goodies, God shows me how my own son's have hearts to be filled. Read this part of her blog:

"During a quiet time one morning, my eyes lighted upon one of my little chests and the Holy Spirit impressed me to look at the heart of my children as treasures chests. Filling the treasure chests of their hearts with truth, beauty, love, great thoughts, books and ideas, adventures, memories, traditions, wisdom, music, art, lessons, all that I could imagine became a purposeful goal. I realized that I wanted to fill them with such an abundance of relics of eternal value, that they would draw beauty, strength, guidance, assurance, courage, love the rest of their lives, so that they would always have bounty to draw from the rest of their lives.

Realization came to me, though, that I could not give to them what I did not myself possess. If I wanted the souls of my children to be rich, then my soul needed to be rich because it was my soul they would draw from. And so the idea of intentionality began to engage the imagination of my heart.

Whatever I filled my mind with became the tutor of their education as I lived my moments in their presence. Whatever I had learned and embraced, became for them the message on my heart of my day. Investing time every morning with the Lord became the passion I passed on each morning over breakfast."

The other thing I realized, as I sit here writing this post, is that I have also been trying to look at the eternal value things hold. How I spend my time, where I invest my energy, how I talk with friends and family. Does most of it, if not all of it, have eternal value. How appropriate that I was, just hours ago, thinking of trinkets to fill the treasure chest with that I come face to face with the idea of filling the treasure chest's I've been given in the hearts of my sons, with things with eternal value.

Wow! There's my life-changing challenge for today!

The Rat Hunt

So this past week my parents have been at war with a rat. Actually, more than one. They've now killed two. They believe the war is over. They are praying the war is over. Last night we got to be a part of the war last night. Thomas loved it. As soon as we walked in he asked both Uncle Ross and Papa if he could see the rat. He was made when he got locked out of the laundry room while the guys were on the hunt. He couldn't wait to see the rat when they caught him. Even though he was dead. And oh the look of glee on his face when Uncle Ross held it up by the tail to scare me and my sister.

Here they are checking out under the dishwasher, the last place the rat was seen running under. yep, in the kitchen. Dad found him on the counter. EWWWWW!!!!

Yes, my husband is holding a gun. A bb gun to be exact. They were serious about catching this guy.

Thomas was in on all the action. He wasn't afraid, but determined to see this rat.

Had to Share it

Thomas, I apologize right now! This just had to be shared. This is one of your favorite things to do, it is done almost daily at our house and there are people that will enjoy it as much as I do.

This truly is one of his favorite things to do. Run in circles, and I've been dying to get a video to share with you all. He will either run circles around the kitchen counter or this night he chose to go around a small circle. Often times this is done in the hat with the horse, but sometimes it's just him. It has been more frequent with the rain outside. It cracks me up and it usually has him laughing by the end. Now, you have to know this doesn't just happen for one or two laps, it usually lasts for a few minutes with breaks in between to see if we are watching or to change direction and then right back to it.

Thank you, Thomas for letting me share it. (right now you like to watch it, but i know in about 10 years you won't enjoy it as much!)

More on Thomas

And here's the non-Minnie side of Thomas. The little boy that gets into everything!! He is wearing his favorite train hat, the black smudges on his face are from my eye make-up applicator and he's looking in the drawer to find a screwdriver. Apparently he had something that needed to be fixed and his screwdrivers were too big.

We met the baby

It's official, Thomas is going to be a big brother!! We are so excited to welcome another little boy into the family in July! I must admit I was tempted the last few months by all the cute pink, fuffy clothes to really hope for a little girl, but was excited to see proof of a boy. A girl would be tons of fun, but the last couple of days I've really been hoping to have a brother for Thomas. After all, I really have always wanted boys. Jared, being the strong, silent type, hadn't said much either way. He did admit afterwards he was a little relieved and very excited that it was a boy.

As I've thought about it today, I've been so excited to know that God knows what is best for us. He decided long ago that I was to be a mother of boys. Boys! God wants me to have boys. Soccer, frogs, boogers, loud noises, farting and burping, lots of running and lots of food, all things boys. Yikes!! I'm loving it and am excited for all that is to come, but if I really think about it, it's just so different from what I knew growing up. Can't wait for the many adventures to come. Then also in my thinking today I was overwhelmed by the same thought. God wanted ME to have BOYS. He wants me to raise Men. Men are the heads of their families, leaders in their churches and the way this world is going, that's an extra hard job to prepare them for. God thinks I'm worthy to raise someone's future husband and possibly a leader in the church but hopefully a servant worker. Those are two very important roles, one that must be seen as important to them. That I pray with all my heart. That they both now, grow up to the Love the Lord and live a life to serve and glorify Him. And, God gave me two of them to raise. That is beyond humbling to me, beyond!! Something I, most days, feel totally unfit for. I praise Him and find comfort in the fact that I'm not doing this on my own. HE will do it through me. I pray, Lord, that I seek you daily in this daunting task. And, no, I am in no way forgetting that He has given me an awesome leader, partner and husband to do it with. He has given my boys an awesome man to immulate. They truly have a Godly example in their Daddy to watch and to follow!! Together we will enter this crazy adventure, full of all things boys and looking to their future with hope and lots of prayer!!

And I will proudly represent all things girly in my house. I vow to wear pink everyday! (well, maybe vow is too strong a word... but you get the picture)

Sweetest Boy

I believe it is my job as the mother of a future man & husband, to raise a gentleman. To raise this little boy to be a great husband. One that is kind, loving and well prepared. Meaning he will open doors, say please & thank you, will pay compliments and notice the things to give compliments for. Also, he will know how to cook, do laundry and clean a toilet. No, I'm not being a feminist in this, I don't think that's his role as a man, but yes I firmly believe he should know how to do these things. He will not be a sissy about this, and will take care of things a manly man should. I pray every day he is a man that loves the Lord above all else and that the Lord gives him wisdom. I pray he is a man of integrity and kindness. These are the things I strive for as the mother of a future man & husband. These things must be trained and taught to him now, so in effort to do this I find myself saying suttle things and pointing things out. Helping him give compliments and letting him open doors for me. Last week I saw this sweetness and kindness in him. He was given 5 stickers at Trader Joe's. He was so excited about them. He looked at them and talked about them the entire 20 minute drive home. When we got home he said, "Here Mommy!" and gave me a sticker. He then proceeded to fill my entire arm with his stickers. It touched my heart. Yes, it's a silly little thing, but to me it spoke volumes. He shared something that he was excited about with his mommy. That is my sweet boy!! Now to work on the toilets and disobedience!