Feelings

The Squirms got a book for Christmas about feelings. We read it the other night before bedtime, on a day that included a trip to the grocery store for the Great and me (Squirms had been helping her dad take down lights). The book reminded me so much of my own experience at the grocery store....

Proud. I was proud to be holding the Great in the parking lot, and putting him my buggy. He's so handsome and chunky, and mine.

Frustrated. The Great is very good at wiggling his way to stand, turn around, and attempt to climb out of the buggy seat. The entire time we are in the store. And during check out.

Excited. I put a Fox's cookie package in the buggy that I had not tried before.

Happy. The Great makes so many other people smile at the grocery store - I can't help but smile too.

Angry. Put the buggy, or cart if you prefer, in the assigned coral. I mean, it's ten feet. It's walking ten feet. Or, just tell the nice employee, "yes, I would like help to my car" and they will take the buggy back for you.

Sad. They were out of Jammie Dodgers.

Silly. The Great and I danced to part of a song while pausing near the deodorant.

Sleepy. We have a two year old (almost three!) and a one year old; and according to every magazine article I've ever read, I don't eat right nor get enough sleep nor exercise enough. This is pretty much an emotion that I feel all the time.

Unfortunately, the book doesn't tell you how to handle your feelings. Just that you have them.

Adoption Day - the Great's first anniversary

Warning: this post contains adorable children eating chocolate cupcakes....also known as messy-crumb-and-icing-smiles pictures.

Sometimes our sweet toddler gets mad at me and tells me to "go away mommy". 

And I usually reply "Never. Mommy will never go away." And sometimes I add a maniacal laugh.

They are stuck with me and R. And we know that we got the better end of this deal. 

Tonight at dinner I paused eating and conversation so I could watch the Great eat black beans. He prefers his left hand, carefully chooses one bean to pick up, places it in his mouth and then moves those chunky cheeks while trying to chew/gum the bean, ending with a smack of the lips. He is the most adorable black bean soup consumer.

The last chapter of C.S. Lewis's The Four Loves is titled Charity. Lewis writes: 

"Of all arguments against love none makes so strong an appeal to my nature as "Careful! This might lead you to suffering." To my nature, my temperament, yes. Not to my conscience."; 

and "We shall draw nearer to God, not by trying to avoid the sufferings inherent in all loves, but by accepting them and offering them to Him; throwing away all defensive armour."; 

and "As so often, Our Lord's own words are both far fiercer and far more tolerable than those of theologians. He says nothing about guarding against earthly loves for fear we might be hurt; He says something that cracks like a whip about trampling them all under foot the moment they hold us back from following Him."  

Only good has come from meeting the Great's birth mother and birth father, from hoping for another child, from sitting next to his birth mother in the OR, from spending time holding the Great in the hospital, from bringing him home, and from standing before a judge last year to finalize his adoption. 

"To my nature, my temperament, yes. Not to my conscience." (Lewis)

  

Hmmmm, what is this?

It's Chocolate Icing!

And Chocolate Cake!

Everyone loves chocolate cake!

Happy Adoption Day the Great.

Ten Things

1. L is visiting us this week. She has taken Squirms shopping for a barbie, built a fort, and bought Smarties at our local British shoppe.

2. My parents visited right after Christmas, flying down late Christmas night. They got to play with all the new toys: they were each assigned a favorite dinosaur, watched the Great break it down to The Wheels on the Bus, received check-ups from Doc Squirms, and learned about Princess Sophia. 

Look Gran! It's an airplane!

He loves to play catch....or a baby-version of catch.

Our Sunny Christmas

3. My mom got me a crock pot for Christmas and I tried it out today. The crock pot roasted a whole chicken while we went to the Great's 15 month check up, met R for lunch, stopped by the British Shoppe for candy and biscuits, and I went to the dentist. And, it tasted quiet good.

4. On Christmas Eve some dear friends came over for brunch and R told them a story about my shock at seeing a U.S. Postal Service mail truck when we first moved here. Apparently I told him that I thought those tiny trucks were only in movies. Our friends, also from different areas of Alabama could relate - they also grew up thinking all mail carriers just used their personal cars and put a bumper sticker on the back.

5.  The Great's 15 month check up went well: his growth charts look good, his vocabulary is average, and his lungs sound good.

6. Crawford's Bourbon Creams are a sturdy biscuit. L is enjoying her Smarties and making fun of how many biscuits I'm eating.

7. We took a family trip to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor's Complex during R's holiday time off from work. Squirms had a lot of fun running around the Rocket Garden; and kept whispering "wow" during the Atlantis Experience movie. The Great really liked checking out all the capsules.

8. L is trying to watch the latest season of Doctor Who while she is here.

9. Oh. Yes. Last week I went to the dentist because of some tooth pain. Then I was sent to an endodontist. 

For a root canal - or partial one to help ease the pain to be completed at a later date. It was not my best day.

10. The Squirms found some stickers the other day.

Pictures

We had such a lovely Christmas day.

Our Nativity Set.

Opening Presents!

Trying to get to her Baby Doll.

One of their favorites - a bus with music for dancing.

Two new toys....she's playing with a shovel.

Dad showing them how to use the excavator.