This Is The Way We Clean Our Plates...

Clean our plates...


Clean our plates...


This is the way we clean our plates, and then the kitchen floor!

Poor my Gracie...while the other two feasted on left-over taters, green beans, and hamburger steak, she was relegated to peanut butter. It was not, however, her fault. Elizabeth likes the place mats and is often jealous, so she tugged. She's gotta work on that whole swiping it out without knocking everything off the table bit.



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The Road To Two

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

It was April. I am sure that April is a beautiful place in many areas, but April in Northeast Alabama is truly lovely. The riot of colors that are wriggling their way out into the open bring about a certain excitement and hope and promise of new things to come. The UAH campus was no exception in 1998. While still early in the spring, is was a pretty warm year and students were finding all sorts of things to keep themselves occupied in the out-of-doors.

A personal favorite of mine was strolling around with a friend or two at night after things had calmed down for the day. One particular night, I was joined by Joshua and another young man. We walked and talked and laughed and joked our way all over campus. We stopped to, um, admire the current artistry near the arts building. We weaved in and out between the buildings. We sat in the grass to chat. We sat on the sidewalks to chat. We even had a short lived game of hide and go seek. Because we were mature like that!

As we traipsed across the street back to the BSU, my mind was a whirl of thoughts and emotions. I knew I really liked Joshua, and though I had not the first inkling of what he might be thinking, I did something that I still can't believe I did. (understatement of my life)

We all got in our cars to go our separate ways. I fell into my seat and prayed. Hard. I was trying to align my heart and my mind, and was failing miserably. I just couldn't shake the feeling that said, 'Now. Now is the time.'

I glanced up in my rear view mirror, hoping to see the parking lot behind me empty and surprised myself by the relief I felt when I noted Joshua's truck still parked back there. I got out of my car, walked quickly, oh so quickly, so as not to lose my nerve, to his truck and got his attention.

I wish I could tell you exactly what it was that I said. But I don't remember. I just remember letting him know that I was interested in more that just a friendship. Then standing there.

Waiting. Waiting. Waiting.

My heart was in my throat, and I was embarrassed. Here I had just revealed myself to this guy, and he had the nerve to sit there and not say anything. He just looked shocked for a second, then turned away from me. And I stood there. Thinking the worst.

Joshua says: I was shocked because Aubrey had spent several minutes earlier conversing with me and another guy (not the one who walked with us, though) - telling us about this guy she liked, that she didn't know for sure how to handle it, etc...

What she said was, "You know, I was talking about you tonight."

And I did say something (after gathering my own wits). I said, "I don't know whether I'm ready for this or not, but I'd sure like to try."

My heart was pounding so hard it is a miracle that I didn't just die right then and there of some accelerated heart related health disaster. I finally had the thought that since he wasn't saying anything, my feelings must have been one sided. I gathered up what 'firecracker' spunk I could, and was just about to walk away when he reached out and hugged me. Tightly. And kissed my neck. Just once.

Joshua says: OK, before you all accuse me of necking on a not-even-first-date, it was truly just one of those awkward situations in which I just kissed what was next to my face. Chastely.

And my knees turned to jelly. I could have melted into the ground, were it not for that tight hug and the happiness in my heart.

And there you have it. We were almost inseparable from there on out. That was just over ten years ago, and if you want the honest to goodness truth of it, he can still make my legs do that whole rubbery thing.

Summer Swimmers!!

Swimming is not exactly something that the kids love to do. They like to play in kiddie pools and will even hang out on the steps of friends in-ground pools. But actually get their entire body in the water and kick around? You must be kidding!

This became an issue of mine several weeks ago. Our Sunday School class had a gathering, and I was exposed to several children the same ages as my kids playing freely in the water!!! While Thomas and Sarah Grace panicked each time Joshua and I tried to entice them past the steps. Since then, they have freaked out at two different pools and the lake. I was determined to shake this fear.

Over the weekend, some neighbors of our invited us to use their pool while they were away, and I was quick to jump on it. Monday morning, Thomas and I trekked up the street and got down to business. He was hesitant at first, but we sat on the pool steps and talked about trusting Mommy to take care of him. After nearly twenty minutes of me talking until I was blue in the face, he finally began to calm down enough to let me show him how to paddle his arms under the water. While we still sat on the steps. Of course, when I took him out into the water, he nearly lost it again, but we chatted some more about trust and he relaxed a bit.

Over the course of the next forty minutes or so, he got to the point where he would kick with his feet and paddle with his arms as I supported his belly. Then he said he trusted me enough to catch him when he jumped in from the side of the pool. I was ecstatic. We played around for a bit longer and came back home. Then he called his Daddy and relayed all of his new accomplishments.

This morning, Granny and I took all three kids to the pool and worked with the two older ones. It took some, but not much, convincing to get Thomas to pick up more or less where he left off. After a little bit, I asked him if he could jump in from the deep end and swim to me. He was hesitant at first, but he finally agreed to try it. So long as I was close enough to catch him.


On his first attempt, I caught him, then helped him to get swimming in the right direction. He dog paddled all the way to the steps by himself! Then asked if he could do it again. Yes! On his second attempt, I barely touched him, and he was off. By the third time, I was just kind of background scenery to his three ring circus.

By then, Sarah Grace, who had been working with Granny, decided she wanted to jump in at the deep end and swim. Sarah Grace is by nature braver than Thomas. Most of her hang ups with water stemmed from seeing her brother get so worked up over it. And most of her accomplishments today were because he was not freaking out.


Off she went, down to the deep end, made sure I would help her if she needed it and jumped! She came up spluttering a bit, but started paddling her way towards the steps. Unfortunately, one of her floaties was losing air, and both the kids are still dependent on them for added buoyancy. She did really well, but managed to keep listing to one side and needing help to right herself and keep her face out of the water.


By the time we were ready to leave, Thomas and Sarah Grace were paddling happily around the shallow end as Elizabeth went from me to Granny to me to Granny. Elizabeth, by the way, while not swimming, per se, had no problem being supported by her arms and kicking herself around. Her main distraction is all the water in the pool that needs to be lapped up for her drinking pleasure! Ew!


I am proud of these little swimmers! Who knew they could come so far in just a couple of days? Great job, Thomas and Sarah Grace!

It's A Bird, It's A Plane...

It's a swimming pool!



Or is it?



Surprise, it's a turtle shell! Betcha woulda never guessed that one, huh?

Yup, Thomas and Sarah Grace are slightly obsessed with turtles and snails. It's the whole carrying your house around on your back thing. So, despite the 90+ degree heat, the kids would 'sleep' in their house and play in their house and finally come out for a few minutes of comparatively cool air. The fact that they were ringing wet phased them not in the least. It's all about priorities, folks. And theirs was to play in their turtle house.

Hey, and check out the Bug's cute new hair cut! It's a little sweaty here, but cute and cool otherwise.

The Road To Two

Catch up here.

I won't tell you I spent the entire holiday break wondering what Joshua was up to. In fact, I was rather preoccupied with whatever else my life consisted of at the time. He did cross my mind from time to time, sending me into that warm, tingly feeling one is prone to during a crush. I managed to discard it for the most part and concentrate on the tasks at hand.

Somehow, I wound up not really getting back over to the BSC until the very end of January. And when I did, I didn't see Joshua for a while. We kept managing to miss each other. I chalk that up to God, as well. About the time we finally finished the book in our Sunday School class, I ran into Joshua. For me, things get real blurry at this point.

Another big thing that was going on back in those days was this Christian coffee house that a friend of mine was helping to get up and going. They hosted Christian concerts on the weekends and provided a fun atmosphere for the college age kids to hang out in during the week. They also hosted a Bible study one night a week. A study that Joshua and I were both a part of.

And so began a time of more interaction and better getting to know one another. We started talking late into the nights, joining the same groups for food runs, and the harassment began to subside. A little. It was a sweet time in my life. I had this growing peace about who Joshua was and the role I desired him to play in my life.

Over the next couple of months, I worked through some of the lingering issues I had, but still remained guarded around Joshua. I knew it just wasn't time for 'us' yet.

Then there was that whole issue of me not knowing what he thought about me.

Car Wash

With everything that has been going on the past few months, the van and it's appearance has fallen to the very bottom of the list. It's not like washing it lasts for any amount of time anyway. I mean, it gets dirty just sitting in the driveway, thanks to the bird population. So, let's say it is an understatement that the van was dirty.

Here is where I would like to tell you all about how we donned our swimsuits and filled up a bucket with sudsy water and I handed out rags to the kids to help me wash the grime off the van. Surely by now, though, you have realized that while I love old-fashioned family fun, I rarely get around to making it happen. Lest we forget the Christmas of 2007 flop.

Nah, I loaded the kids into that filthy beast of a van, traveled across town to do some quick shopping at Wal-Mart (because it's WM or nothing in this town!) and happened to notice that the must-be-really-expensive-I-hope-they-make-their-money-back car wash was now open. I know this, because the sign outside said 'NOW OPEN!'. If nothing else, I am observant.

We wound up sitting at the red light right beside the place and the kids oohed and ahhed over the car that was getting spiffed up inside. Let the begging commence.

Sarah Grace started it off with, 'I wish we could get our car cweaned wike dat.'

And Thomas chimed in with, 'Oh, Mommy! Look! It has spinner-fingies.'

And all through finding a parking place and unloading and getting situated into the buggy and walking around the store and checking out and unloading the buggy and loading back into the van.

'I wish we could go dare.'

'Mommy, can we go fru da washer?'

'I wish we could go dare.'

'It looks like funner, Mommy!'

'I wish we could go dare.'

'Our van is dirty, Momma.'

'I wish we could go dare.'

'Can we stay in the van and go fru it, Mommy?'

Yeah, guess who caved. We left the land of car-wash-wishing and went straight across the road to the car wash. I handed over my debit card to the young man who was trying to con my children out of their chicken poppers, selected the wash we wanted, and was directed inside the tunnel. Where I bumped the gear shift into Neutral and took my 'hands off the wheel and feet off the pedals.'

The ride had begun. The kids clapped and cheered as the sprayers soaked the van. They laughed and squealed as the scrubbers and pom-poms all whisked away the dirt. They shouted 'Yay!' as the water rinsed off the suds.

And then I had a mild heart attack.

While I was watching the kids jubilant faces in the rearview mirror, I noticed a distinctly un-car-wash related movement out of the corner of my eye. A hand! It was reaching out towards me. From amidst the sprays of water. As I nearly keeled over, the hand popped my mirror back into place and disappeared.

Only then did I notice the men walking around between the equipment and the walls of the tunnel. It was the first day of operation, and they were there to insure that all went well. Them and their sneaky hands.

About the time understanding was dawning on me, the machine was letting loose with a barrage of multi-colored wax stuff. The kids were in seventh heaven. Even Elizabeth was laughing and squealing! Thomas and Sarah Grace loved the 'rainbow' that landed on the van and chattered excitedly about what colors were on 'their side' of the van.

Next came the dryers, and the kids became suddenly more subdued. The noise bothered them, but it was short lived. Excitement picked back up and the kids discussed the finer points of car washing in the tunnel all the way home.

All that over a car wash. I wonder how they will react if I ever get them to an amusement park...

My Soldiers

The kids rediscovered the basket full of dress up clothes. They went through the grown up clothes, the left over costumes, and the old cheerleader outfits before they settled on the soldier outfits. Notice how Sarah Grace feminized hers...I wonder if a 4 star general would approve...

These Things Happen

Or so I am told. It was a very busy Saturday around here for us. My parents came to town to help out with various things. My Dad and Joshua headed out to the lake to work on the property there and had a very successful day, to hear tell. My Mom came in to help watch the kids while Diane and I held a yard sale. So, it was a nice and relaxing day. The sale went well, the kids were pretty good for my Mom, and by noon, we were ready to close shop.

As we dragged everything in and prepared lunch, the kids went out to the deck where we have the pool set up. Since they managed to dump a boat load of suds in it the other day, we now have to give them a bath just so they can rinse all the soap off their little bodies. So, I called them on in, fed them their lunch and then sent them off to the bathroom to take a bath. I got caught up in the laundry room (imagine that) and essentially forgot about them. I heard happy, giggly kid noises, so I wasn't worried.

After several minutes, I heard Thomas in the living room. I glanced in to see him and asked him to run and get his lotion. As he headed out, my Mom actually went into the living room. And commented on the soaked towel in the floor. A mili-second later, I heard Granny holler from the back of the house...'The bathroom is flooded!'

I dropped what I was doing and headed back there. The floor was wet in splotches all the way up and down the hall and in the living room. Technically, the bathroom was not 'flooded'. It was just wet. An inch deep in wet. But nothing was causing more water to come out. Nothing, that is, except for Sarah Grace. Apparently she and Thomas had dunked their towels in the bathtub. Because that makes so much sense. The clean-up began. Several towels later, we felt as though the flooring would all survive.

As we grown-ups were winding up the drying cycle, Thomas made it back up the stairs with the lotion, including several blotches covering his feet and legs. Looking very proud of himself, I might add. He was one greasy kid by the time I got all of it rubbed in. Somehow, he had managed to bust the top out of the tube of lotion. Talent. Sheer, unadulterated talent in that kid.

After we got everyone lotioned and dressed, Mom and I opted to take the kids out for tater tots, a much loved treat. As we made our way down the steps (which are hard-wood, praise the Lord!) we found where several of Thomas' blotches of lotion had fallen off. People, we use a pretty pricey lotion on that boy to help keep his eczema under control. I started down the steps swiping up the stray clumps of lotion and rubbing it on my arms and legs and on Sarah Grace, who happened to be bumping down the steps with me.

The Grandmothers stood at the top of the stairs and laughed at us. But let me tell you, of all the days to have both of them on hand to help with things, this one was a good one. I forgave their laughing at me pretty quickly.

Seriously, you would think that with one adult in the house for each child, we could have managed a bit more relaxation, yes?

The Road To Two

Click here for Part 1
Click here for Part 2

Just an add on from last week...when Joshua asked who I was, Tim The Host replied, 'Oh, that's Aubrey. She's a firecracker.' That is just one of those tidbits that has managed to stick with me through the years. While I don't fault Tim for his description, I have thought of numerous other ways I would have liked to have been described to my future husband.

My next encounter with Joshua was around the spades tables. You need to know that spades was the pass time of many of the BSC crew. Fortunately, in my first quarter in college, I had learned the basics of this game while sitting around in the student center, so I didn't look completely foolish when I set up with these spades gurus. I soon learned that after Celebration on Tuesday nights, and really, just about any other night of the week, there could be found two or three tables worth of folks playing spades. I managed to gain the acknowledgment of the spadesters and was often searched out to play a game or three.

It started out innocently enough. Maybe we were partners, maybe we weren't. But if you saw Joshua and I at the same table, you could count on much laughter due to the ribbing and general harassment that was bound to take place. Directed at one another. It was all very reminiscent of junior high.

I spent hours around those tables, playing, laughing, chatting, getting to know others. While I would play with or without Joshua, I preferred with. And, to be even pickier, I preferred to be his partner. It was easier to watch him and have a valid excuse. I did learn to read his 'card' expressions some, but mostly I just enjoyed the scenery. And that is all I intend to divulge about that.

Just before Christmas break, one of the girls from the BSC hosted a Christmas party at her house. I was there. So was Joshua. But not with each other. When he sat down to play piano, I was done for. If there was any doubt in my mind that I liked this guy, it was swept away at that moment. He sat there caught up in his music, laughter and conversation going on all around him and the lights of the nearby Christmas tree throwing funny colors and shadows on his face. He was a Christian, he was fun, he was well thought out, he was musical. Seriously, what was missing?

I started praying then and there for the Lord to lead me in how to deal with things. I had this growing crush, and I had basically just sworn off guys. To give my heart time to heal from it's earlier beating, and to take time to define what it was I wanted in a guy. I was tired of dating. I was tired of playing. (I was nineteen years old, oh-so-young) I wanted to be sure what it was that I desired in a relationship, and then pursue those ideas.

I left the party that evening with a bit of a heavy heart. Christmas break was upon the college world, and everyone was headed home for the holidays. For Joshua, that meant Georgia for about three or four weeks.

It was a loooong Christmas break.

Summer Shot

Because I haven't posted a picture of the kids in a while...

Heros

Thomas and I were driving down the road chatting back and forth the other day on our way to meet Baby Samuel. The topic of conversation turned to a comment I had made to Joshua the other day over some random 'man-thing' that he had done for me. I looked up at him and said, 'Your my hero.' Thomas must have taken a mental note on this and as we cruised along, he asked me if Daddy was still my hero. I smiled and replied 'Yes, son, yes, he is.'

'Mommy, can I have a hero?'

'Of course you can.'

'Does it have to be a boy?'

'No, it doesn't have to be a boy.'

'My hero is Gracie. She is so nice and she plays with me.'

Yup. My heart swelled so big I thought it was gonna burst wide open. It's conversations like this that make me love my Mommy-ing job.

A Special Kind Of Music To My Ears...

It's funny the things that sibling rivalry brings out in my children. Some days, it's just the little spats that drive me nuts, some days it's a kind of competition to see who can do what the best or the fastest. Sometimes, though, it's this kind of thing. And while the tone of their voices grates my ears, I have to admit to being somewhat amused.

We had just finished Sesame Street this morning when the kids decided they wanted to play Candy Land. Being the tired-of-Candy-Land Mommy that I am, I suggested that they set it up and play with each other while I watched them from a chair a whole three feet away. They warmed to this idea very quickly and soon were playing Candy Land with a whole new set of rules. Rules that I didn't understand, but they both seemed content and were playing great, creating more rules as they went, discarding those that were older than eight seconds.

They played well like this for about half an hour before they tired of the game. At this point, they jumped up and ran off to find something else to drag out. I called them down quickly and reminded them to please take care of their game and put it away so we could find all the pieces the next time.

What ensued was cleaning chaos. Both kids wanted to fold up the game board. Just as I thought war was about to break out, Thomas opted for the higher ground. He pulled himself to full height and announced to Sarah Grace that she could fold the board. He would do all the hard work.

Because Sarah Grace is the competitive little thing that she is, she quickly folded the board, tossed it in the general direction of the box, and insisted that she could do hard work, too.

The giggling started as both of them scrambled to pick up the most cards and people. Needless to say, the mess got worse before it got better. By the time they were finally picking the stuff up in earnest, there was much fussing about who 'didn't get to pick up more'. The laughter was over; these kids were honestly upset over the fact that they were done picking up and putting away all the pieces to their game.

I tried to remind them that they had several other toys on the floor that could stand to be put away...apparently, this type of mourning is reserved for Candy Land, though.

How to direct that enthusiasm to all aspects of keeping their toys put away...

The Road To Two

Read Part 1

I didn't return for a few weeks after that second visit. I was irritated that not a single person had said hi to me. I didn't expect them to remember me or invite me out afterward or anything, but a simple 'Hi there' woulda been nice. Not a social butterfly by any means, but I had not yet resorted to wall-flower status. Yeah, I have these impossible to define standards. Sue me.

While I was away stewing (because that is what I was doing...occasionally), my Sunday School class started reading the book 'I Kissed Dating Good-Bye'. Don't get all book review-ish on me. I know tons of folks who scoffed at that book, but it was just what I needed right when I needed it. Ain't God just cool?

At some point, I picked up on Joshua's name. I don't remember the details of that. Perhaps just hearing his name called across a room or something. Nothing dramatic. He, however, still didn't know me. A fact that was made oh-so-clear one evening after I did decide to scoot back over to the BSU. I missed the fellowship and the fun. As I sat on one side of the room talking to a few folks, Joshua sat on a couch and lazed about, watching people.

As one of the live-in hosts walked by, Joshua asked him who I was. A point that Joshua and I still disagree on. Suffice it to say, I was irritated that he didn't ask me to my face or simply introduce himself. I mean, I could hear him asking, for crying out loud! (though I was secretly glad he cared to know my name at all) Joshua maintains that I was in the midst of a conversation and it would have been rude.

He obviously needed to know my name badly if he wasn't willing to wait it out for a few minutes... don't you think?

And that is how we started our friendship. With me irritated at him and him being all logical about his actions. It is an equation that we still find ourselves in occasionally.