A day at the beach

On Wednesday we went to the beach in Freeport. It was a windy, sunny, beautiful day. The boys loved every minute of it. Of course we took lots of pictures.

Those who read Mercy's blog will already have seen this picture, but I had to post it again. Here is Noah getting his first taste of the ocean. He was fearless, marching right in. When we got out far enough, I would try to steer him back, but he was determined to turn around and get back into those waves.

And here are the boys digging in the sand. Elijah preferred the sand to the waves, I think. Noah kept putting sand into his mouth, then making spluttering sounds and trying to get the sand out of his mouth with his very sandy fingers (didn't work so well).

Jellyfish! Lots of little ones (dime and nickel-sized).

Here's Noah being his cute self.

In the background you can see me and Elijah, while Noah plays happily in the sand. If you look closely, you can see that he is soaked up to his shoulders from his adventures in the ocean.

Well, that's all for now--more to come soon!

Okay, okay, I'm updating

Hi! I'm in Texas with the boys. We are enjoying our visit, except that Noah is not sleeping well. Or when he does sleep, he sleeps well, but he's enjoying himself too much to go to sleep in the first place, so he stays up late but does not sleep in to compensate, then because he's behind on sleep he gets all wound up and doesn't want to go to sleep--and so on. I'm apparently not much of an expert on babies and sleep, because it's something I've always struggled with. I've read a few books and articles on the topic, but different people have entirely different opinions, so reading hasn't helped me much.

But other than Noah's sleep issues, we are enjoying our visit. Both of the boys obviously enjoy their aunts and uncles quite a bit, and their Meemaw too. They also enjoy the warm weather, and the opportunity to spend some time outside. If all goes as planned, we will be taking them to the beach tomorrow. They have not seen the ocean before, and I bet they will love it! I will too, I'm sure.

We visited Caleb and Leah's house between services on Sunday, and hope to visit again later this week. I like their home a lot--it's very comfortable and inviting. I think it's interesting how some of the more modest and "ordinary" homes I've visited felt so much more comfortable and welcoming than some of the bigger and more expensive homes. I would love to be able to pinpoint exactly what it is that makes a house feel like a home, not only to its inhabitants, but to visitors as well. Of course, it's probably something indefinable that can't be pinpointed. :) But I have my ideas. I know one thing that always makes me feel at home is bookcases, with books in them of course.

Well Noah needs me--gotta go!

Well Dr. #2 agrees with Dr. #1 that it is not mumps. He doesn't quite seem to know what it is either though. Some sort of underlying infection, he says, causing things to swell a bit. He showed me Elijah's parotid glands (glands that produce saliva), which would be infected if he had mumps. But they are pink and healthy looking, no inflammation or discharge. Elijah submitted to lots of poking and prodding as the doctor examined him very thoroughly. But he didn't complain at all and once the examining was over, beamed at the doctor and jumped around the examining room.

So, it's NOT mumps, but he looks like a chipmunk just the same. :)

Mumps, maybe

Elijah looks so mumps-ey that I called the doctor's office and asked them to do a mumps test just in case. If it is mumps, it's not a big deal, but I should probably keep him away from other kids till he's better. So this afternoon he's getting a mumps test.

Here are a few pictures of my little chipmunk. You can see the swelling on the left of his neck and face.























And also a picture which I just got from the kids' grandma. Can you see why the kids like visiting Grandma so much? (Hint: look at the background.) When Elijah saw this picture, he said, "I miss Grandma. I want to visit Grandma." I said, "Do you miss Grandma, or do you miss Grandma's toys?" I wasn't sure if I really wanted to know the answer to that question! But he passed the test with flying colors when he answered mournfully, "No, I just miss Grandma." Awwww!

p.s. I apologize once again for the funky layout. I suppose I should just line the pictures up down the middle, since any sort of creative layout ends up all wrong.

A few updates

Updates:

Noah has been taking a few steps lately. He thinks walking is soooo entertaining. He gets a great big silly grin on his face every time. He can now wave bye-bye and blow kisses. He can say a few words: his favorite word is "geggle-bop" but he also likes Dada, Mama, Buh (brother), Voom (vacuum cleaner or toy car), and sometimes Puh (up). Unfortunately, he frequently chooses to communicate by screaming. He screams when he's upset (brother took his toy) or when he's excited (brother made him laugh) or when he wants more food. When I tell him "No screaming," he looks at me and gives a few test screams in progressively quieter tones, with a question mark on the end, until I stop saying "No screaming," and give him a smile.

He is a big fan of the 6 month old baby that I care for. When she arrives in the morning, he gets that big silly grin again. He crawls up to her carseat, pulls himself up, and leans over to put his face against hers.

This morning I awoke at one in the morning to find him sitting next to me and clapping. He was very delighted with himself for discovering how to clap. I was delighted too until I saw what time it was.

Elijah is sick today. One side of his face is swollen up like a chipmunk, and he is feeling very out of sorts. I wondered at first if he might have mumps, but the doctor says it's probably some sort of subcutaneous skin infection. I think that's doctor-speak for "I don't really know what it is, but maybe antibiotics will fix it." So he's got some antibiotics. I have mixed feelings about giving him antibiotics when I don't really know for certain what he's got.

I got Elijah a book called Richard Scarry's Great Big Schoolhouse. It goes through things like colors, numbers, alphabet letters, days of the week, and so on. The book is right up Elijah's alley because each page has lots of things going on, so he can sit and study each page for a while before he's seen it all. My only complaint about the book, and a complaint I've had with a few other books too, is that it says things like "All children go to school to learn how to read and write." Well obviously this is not quite true. When I read it to him, I rephrase it as "Many children go to school to learn how to read and write," and then I add, "but some children learn how to read and write at home." Yes, I plan to homeschool him if at all possible.

Well, I have some cleaning to do, so I will leave you with a picture (or three). These are of Noah expressing his usual level of interest in the camera. I can't figure out how to post them three in a row side by side, so this is a rather convoluted layout.

A few pictures

Some pictures for your enjoyment. Firstly, the view out our back door. Across the way you see some more townhouses like our own, except that ours does not have a walkout basement. For the past few weeks we have had a lot of precipitation, mostly a mixture of sleet, rain, and snow.
And here we have Elijah looking sharp in some new church clothes. He goes through phases where he bites his nails a lot. Not terribly attractive, I know, but it was either this picture or one of him looking a bit whiney (he was tired).

And here is Elijah smiling and saying "Hi, Meemaw" (my mom) for the camera. I took this picture to send to her. As you can see, I dress him in lots of layers for bed.
And last but not least, Noah looking cute as usual.

I hope everyone who reads this is doing well today!

Of big churches--Part II

Thanks for the comments on my last post! Rather than responding in the comments section to the comments I received, I will continue here for the sake of a more readable layout.

In answer to Mrs. Turnbull's question, I do take Noah into the services with me, but Elijah goes to the "twos and threes room." This is because he seems to be a bit sensitive to loud noise, to the point that when he hears even acapella singing in a small church, he whispers, "It's too loud, mama." Well, the music in our church is not acapella, and it is not a small church, so it is quite overwhelming to him, to the point where he will even cry. I am not fond of the music in our church myself, so I don't make him stay through it.

But I would much prefer to be in a church where the children stay with the parents as a matter of course. In our church, the children are segregated from the parents all the way through high school!! They call it "reaching the children on their level." I think the children are being underestimated, myself. That's not specifically a big church complaint, though. I know of smaller churches that do the same.

My concerns with big churches are two-fold, as follows: the clique issue, and anonymity/accountability. Regarding cliques, I know that people generally tend to gravitate towards people like themselves, and I suppose that's not necessarily a bad thing. But in a big church where there are, for instance, lots of other young couples with children, it is possible that you can end up only socializing with other young couples with children; or college students may end up only interacting with other college students, or even older retired couples only with other retired couples. The distinctions can get even narrower--at one point I was in a small group that consisted entirely of young couples where the husbands were in graduate school, and the wives were working to support the family till the husband graduated (I was the lone exception). While it's nice to be able to connect with others who are going through some of the same experiences as yourself, I think that we miss out on a lot when we don't also have relationships with people at different points in life; for instance, I have often thought that I would love to get to know a mom with older children who would surely have good advice for me as I deal with my own little ones! (In addition to my own mom of course, who is always a great source of advice.)

I suppose this issue could be circumvented if people were intentionally placed in small groups of mixed ages.

The second issue is anonymity or accountability. For years I attended this church and was entirely anonymous, in the sense that no one knew me and I knew no one. It wasn't until I actively sought out a small group that I really got to know people. Even now, many weeks I can come and go from church and not see anyone at all that I know, other than the usher who always says hello to Noah and hands me a bulletin, or perhaps the associate pastor who always asks me how I'm doing. But in a church so large, it's entirely possible (and frequently happens) that if I don't happen to be sitting near any of my friends, I may not see them at all in the crowd. I find that if I leave town for the weekend, my absence is usually not even noticed. I begin to wonder, if I stopped attending church entirely, how long would it take for anyone to realize that I was no longer there? (Don't worry, I would never stop attending just to find out!) And previously, when I knew no one, how was I to be held accountable? How would anyone know if my lifestyle was in accordance with even the most basic principles of Christianity?

I'm sure that those who are more "involved" with Bible studies, weekend retreats, volunteer opportunities, etc. have no trouble meeting people of different age groups, and have plenty of people to hold them accountable. But surely I'm not the only person who finds it difficult to get more "involved" due to family obligations and work schedules.

I'm not at all trying to say that I think there is something inherently wrong with a big church per se, and I'm sure that the issues I mention can be worked around in some way, but those are the reasons I think a smaller church would be a better fit for me.

Disclaimer: these are just my opinions, and I hope I have not offended anyone! I am open to persuasion if you feel differently!

of big churches--feel free to participate in this discussion!

During a conversation with Jesh recently, he asked how many people attend my church. I wasn't sure. A couple of weeks later I took a minute to count seats and discovered that our sanctuary seats 600. There are three services every Sunday, with different attendees--two morning services, and an evening service geared toward college students. I don't know how many people attend each service, but I know that the service I attend is usually pretty full, and I remember the college service (I started attending this church in my college days) usually being filled too.

The church has organized "small groups" to help people connect with others and feel more at home. There are various Bible studies, couples groups, moms groups, etc. that meet throughout the week.

The question is, when is a church too big? Is there a point when a church should split due to size? I suppose you could almost say that our church is already split, since the people who attend the 9:30 a.m. service may never cross paths with the people who attend the 7 p.m. service. But there's still just one pastor (well, plus an associate pastor who handles counseling, and a college pastor) and one board of elders.

So...a question for the many, many people who read my blog :) How big is your church? Do you think there's a point when a church is too big? What do you think are the advantages/disadvantages of big or small churches? (If you have an answer to one of those questions, don't feel obligated to come up with an answer to the rest)

I have my own thoughts, which I have been mulling over for some time now. But I will save my opinions for later!

Maybe tomorrow

Well, I didn't get the bathroom done this evening. Noah is out of sorts due to nasal congestion that keeps him from sleeping. Oh and two more top teeth coming through. I had several errands that I wanted to do that I had to postpone as well, due to Noah's unhappiness.

I did manage to take the boys to see their dad at the restaurant where he works. I enjoyed an excellent turkey salad with interesting ingredients like dried cranberries, apples, candied walnuts, and crostini (plus the usual veggies of course). Elijah ate large quantities of chicken fingers and fries and watched his dad working, asking me with great interest, "Are those Daddy's FRIENDS?" every time he saw Mike talking to one of his tables. Noah ate crackers, cucumber slices, and bits of chicken, and at intervals shrieked "Da DAAAAA?" when he spotted his daddy.

Then I took the boys to "the store with the train table" also known as the children's resale shop. I bought a few things, mostly for Elijah (pajamas and church clothes). Elijah and Noah enjoyed the train table, of course.

Then we came home again and I put the boys to bed. Technically I have an hour till my bedtime and I suppose I could finish the bathroom now, but the easiest way to clean up that joint compound dust would be to vacuum it, which of course would wake up the boys. And I'm tired. So I think I'll wait till tomorrow.

Today I found out that I get to fly down to Texas again in March! I'm very excited to be able to see my family again so soon. And it's a direct flight this time, no connecting flights to manage with the little ones. This will be so much easier!

Elijah's new thing: he starts a sentence with "If..." and waits for me to finish it. For instance, today I made a pot of coffee, a routine that Elijah enjoys "helping" me with. Elijah got to push the button to turn on the coffeemaker, as usual, and as usual I mentioned that we never turn on the coffeemaker unless Mama says so, and that after Mama pours out the coffee, we always turn off the coffeemaker. Elijah said "If the coffeemaker is on and the pot is empty...." and waited. Having been through this several [many] times in the past week, I recognized my cue and completed his sentence with "...the pot might break." I think he usually already knows what will happen in the little "if" scenarios he describes, but he likes to hear me say things over again. He likes me to be predictable.

All right, I'm heading to bed early. (It's not even ten yet!)

A day off

Today I find myself with a surprise day off. The father of the girls I watch has a recital today (he's an organist). So his wife and girls are taking the day off to attend his recital.

I'm using my [paid!] day off to work on some projects. I figure that if I work on one room or area per month, I can have the whole house "done" by the end of the year, except for new flooring, which will have to wait until finances permit, perhaps next year. January's room was the main level half bathroom, which I have not yet finished, so obviously I am behind schedule a bit. My goal is to finish it today. I still need to sand down some spots on the wall that I had patched, clean up the joint compound dust, paint, and rehang the sink. I'll post again at the end of the day to let you know if I finished it all.

February's room is the playroom in the basement. The plan is to repaint all the trim and the staircase, and to disguise a sloppy drywall job with a piece of molding. I also need to do something about the lighting, as the room is rather dim (the overhead light fixture only holds one bulb, which is insufficient given that the room has no windows). I want the room to be childproof seeing as it is the playroom, so I can't just set a lamp in there (might get knocked over). I might put a small shelf high on the wall and put a lamp on that, or perhaps I will replace the overhead light fixture with one that will hold two bulbs. Haven't figured that out yet.

Anyway, this morning I made good progress in the playroom, putting a second coat of paint on the door to the office, and painting the balusters to the staircase.

And then I made my second breakfast. I eat breakfast twice every morning, once when I first wake up before dawn, and a second one later when the kids are ready to eat. I guess that makes me kind of like a hobbit. :) Anyway, I made lots of french toast and orange juice. While we ate, I watched the snow falling. Today we have the unusual treat of seeing snow fall while the sun shines. The snow catches the light and it's gorgeous! Hiding under the lovely snow on the ground, however, is a half-inch layer of ice (we had sleet all day yesterday).

I got some pictures from a relative's camera and thought I would share. These are from last October. First is one taken at a park here in town. Not sure if you can see the water (click on the picture for a closeup), but we are all standing behind a waterfall. From left to right are: Mike's mom, Mike's nephew, Mike, Elijah, me, and Noah. I like this park a lot but we don't make it over there often for some reason. This park also has an amazing playground. I hear that people drive up to an hour just to visit this playground. This town really has great parks and playgrounds.

And since I don't think I've posted any pictures of myself here yet, here's one of me and Noah, in a little well house at that same park. Please pardon the baby drool on my shirt. :)