Life As the Pomettos Know It

**I found this post in my drafts that never got published.  When I read it I had to publish because so.funny.

I think it's high time for an update.

We are having a busy, crazy, awesome, summer.  We have been traveling a ton, seeing lots of friends, enjoying the beauty that is Wisconsin in the summer.

We started the summer with Judah breaking a bone in his wrist (he fell off the monkey bars over Memorial Day weekend).  He, as usual, was a tough guy about it so we didn't even take him in for a couple of days.  Just take a moment to bask in my magnificent mothering. (There was no swelling!  No bruising!  He was using it normally!)  But finally after he hit his wrist on something and was in serious pain again I decided to have it X-rayed...you know, just to rule out a break.  He got a sweet Spiderman cast - that he could wear in the water (thank you, Jesus!) - and we carried on with summer fun.

We took a fantastic vacation to the Outer Banks with Joe's family.  Super fun.  We have been to Iowa twice to visit family and to celebrate the baptism of our adorable god daughter, Kate Caroline.

We spent a weekend at Notre Dame celebrating Angie - she now has a Masters of Arts in Theology.  Kind of a big deal.

And now here we are.  It's almost August.  We have been having so much fun but I just want summer to stay and slow for a while.

Big news in the Pometto fam is that Roman will be attending school this fall.  Our parish has a school and he's just ready.  I will miss having him at home all day but I am excited for him. And I am excited to have a little more one-on-one time with Judah as he starts Kindergarten at home with me.  Of course Silas and Nora will be there too  :)

Other than that, here's what each kiddo has been up to:

Roman:

• still super into music.  We have been to a couple of concerts this summer - basically heaven for him.

Judah:

• when he got his cast on he was just kind of grumpy for a couple of days.  I get it.  It was on his right hand.  Had to be pretty annoying.  He's already kind of overstimulated by too much touching and this was touching him all the time.  He was getting into the van one day and he was just being kind of growly and had this scowl on his face.  I said "Judah, why don't you use your words to tell me why you're frustrated."  Through clinched teeth he says "I want to buckle my seat belt by myself."
• Judah has started using his words more often when he's frustrated which is great progress!  We are proud of him!  But, I'm going to be honest, it doesn't always feel like progress.  When he is frustrated he really takes it out on the family via his words.  For example:

Me:  "Judah, it's time for lunch"

Judah:  "Why are you so mean to me all the time?"

Me:  "Judah, it's time to come inside"

Judah:  "You are so very mean"

Me:  "Judah, please put your shoes on so we can go"

Judah:  "Stop talking to me"

So....yeah.  But words are better than not words!  They are better than aggression and pent up frustration.  Hopefully we can start refining the words ASAP.  :)

• He is so aggressive and yet fiercely loyal.  This kid fights with Silas/wrestles him to the ground all day long.  Then he tells me that some other kids were being mean to Silas at an event we were at.  There happened to be childcare provided, so I wasn't in the room at the time.  I asked Judah if he had told one of the "teachers" that someone was being mean to Silas.  His response:  "No, I don't need to tell a teacher.  I need to smash them."
• This same child will be so sweet and give the best compliments when he's happy.  When we get ice cream or go swimming he almost always announces "This is a great day!"  My personal favorite though, is when he tells me "You're my best mother".  
• One of Judah's favorite games to "go to work".  He will put on a button down shirt and a tie if he can find one, grab a bag that looks like a laptop case, and go to his "office", which is usually located in the playhouse outside or downstairs.  He really enjoys getting a hug goodbye and then coming in the door to a warm "Judah!  I'm so glad to see you!  How was your day?"  Adorable.  One day I was asking him more about what he did at his office and he was having trouble telling me exactly what he does there.  I said "What does dad do at his office?"  Judah said "he watches movies and colors".  

Silas:

• is still our pokey little puppy.  He is a dawdler which can be pretty frustrating but it's always a good reminder that we don't really need to hurry most of the time.  He notices all the little things we miss.
• He and I were looking at a picture of Saint George, the Dragon Slayer, the other day.  I was trying to get him to make some observations so I asked "What do you notice about this picture?"  He said "I notice the pretty dragon".
• We were all sitting at the dinner table one night when Silas stood up and looked like he was in pain.  "What?", I asked "What's wrong, baby?"  He replied "My feet are sparkly!"  So funny because I knew exactly what he meant.  That's probably the best description I've heard of that horrible feeling when your foot falls asleep!
• See!  He's so sweet, isn't he?!  He's always walking on his toes and laughing and he's the most excitable child.  But there is a dark side.
• I don't even know how to tell you this story.  We were playing at a friend's house one night and the next morning as I was helping Silas get dressed he said "I'm wearing Peter's underwear."

Uh....

This is how the rest of the conversation went

Me:  Why?  Why are you wearing Peter's underwear??

S:  I don't know.

Me:  NO, tell me why you're wearing Peter's underwear.
S:  Well, I pooped in mine.
Me:  .... (deep breathing)
S:  So Peter game me some of his

Me:  Silas, where are YOUR underwear?
S:  I don't know.

For.the.love.  This will be on the next episode of Unsolved Mysteries because the underwear in quesiton were never found.  Ever.  Jess and I have discussed all the options (did he flush them?  throw them?  Will we find them when they move out of that house?)  We laughed and lamented over this many times.  That's a real friend.

Rain

A couple of months ago my sweet, rowdy, yet contemplative six year old was sitting by the window watching the rain.

He, of course, wanted to play outside.  He always wants to play outside.  Rain, snow, sweltering heat, no matter.  And I usually have no objections, but this was a thunder storm so I had to refuse.

Joe always jokes that, if anything ever happened to us, Judah would keep the other kids alive with his foraging skills.  He is rough around the edges sometimes, but he is fiercely loyal.  He's outdoorsy and creative and he's a make-it-happen kind of guy, like his daddy.

He sat there frowning, obviously not enjoying my "no" and staring outside.

"Mom, what are we going to do to stop the rain?"

Oh, my sweet Judah.

This is a hard lesson to learn.  It's one that many adults still haven't quite mastered.

"Well, baby, we can't stop the rain", I said.  "That's not how it works.  It's hard when we don't have control over things, isn't it?  But we don't decide when it rains or when it stops raining.  Only God can do that".

He didn't really seem satisfied with that nugget of wisdom.  ;)

But, again, most adults aren't really happy about not being able to control things, either.

I am one of them.

But what I wanted to tell him, what most adults probably really need to hear, what I hope he will understand one day, is that most of the time,

The rain is not about you.

Most of the time, God is doing something bigger, for a greater purpose that we can't see.  The rain is for someone or something, no doubt.  God doesn't act without purpose.

And, sure, sometimes, it's for you or about you.

But most of the storms...most of the struggle, most of the inconvenience, most of the things that offend us, most of the things that makes us grumpy have very little to do with us.

I wonder how we would respond differently if we could remove ourselves from the equation.  What if we walked away from the window and did something productive?  What if we thanked God for the rain and enjoyed the beauty in it, even if it's not what we had in mind?

He speaks.

As a follow up to my post about fear, I am posting this.

A commitment to write more in 2016.  

Sometimes fear prevents me from writing or from clicking "publish" because I want it to be perfect every time.

And so, it might not always be on this blog, but I am going to write more this year.  I have had this nudging in my spirit for quite some time.

I have been a lover of words for all of my life.  I am moved by so many authors and stories and quotes and I have sensed that God is urging me to use the written word (maybe spoken word?) to serve Him.

It's one of those yeses that I don't really understand.  There are so many others who are more qualified and who have amazingly beautiful words.  

But here we are.

I have asked Him how I will do this and I don't have a clear itinerary.  I have asked Him "why?"

...and His simple answer was "Because I have something to say".

Use my words, Lord.  Be near.

Fear

Fear can always find me.

Ever since my dad died, twenty-two years ago, fear has lived in my closet.

Fear doesn't surprise me most of the time.  Most of the time it's like my shadow...walking along beside me.  Relentless.

It's there for all my daily tasks, nagging at me.

In the parenting - telling me that I'm failing.

In my marriage - trying to convince me I'm not enough.

In my friendships - reminding me that vulnerability is dangerous.

In my car - showing me dark, detailed scenarios.

In my attempts to minister to people - laughing at my weak faith.

Even in prayer - whispering lies and doubts.

And then sometimes it sneaks up on me.  I walk around the corner and it jumps out in front of me with a new threat that I'm not prepared for.

I'm guessing fear might have taken up residence in some of your homes, also?

I confess it often and I got the best encouragement from the Lord through the last priest I spoke with.

He told me to look to Our Lady when the fear begins lurking.

God gave her a seemingly impossible task:  Be the Mother of the Messiah.

It was a task that would bring her great joy and also grave sorrow.

Was fear sitting beside her as Gabriel spoke?  As she knocked on Elizabeth's door?  As she and Joseph made plans to travel to Bethlehem?

Was fear tapping on her shoulder as she rode on the back of the donkey?  Waiting for her in the corners of the stable?

Surely it was pulling at her veil when she ran into the temple, wondering if He was lost.

It had to be sitting with her at the foot of the cross.

I have no doubt that fear was always grasping for her attention, reaching for her hand, trying to get her to look into it's ugly eyes.

But she didn't look to fear, she looked to Him.

And she said yes.

Fear was probably beside her, but instead of listening to that liar she listened to the One who is able to do all things, to the One who would give her all she needed, and said "be it done to me".  Whatever it is.

Whatever crazy thing you ask, Lord:  Yes.

Whatever you want me to do.  Wherever you want me to go.  Whomever you want me to love.  Whatever you ask me to sacrifice.

No matter what trial lies ahead, You will be there and You will be enough.

The answer is just Yes.  Be it done.

We don't have time for fear.  Our life is but a breath (Ps 144:4) and You are the oxygen.  Give us eyes to see that You are everything.

Gospel Reading for Sunday, July 12 Mark 6:7-13

GospelMK 6:7-13

Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two
and gave them authority over unclean spirits. 
He instructed them to take nothing for the journey
but a walking stick—
no food, no sack, no money in their belts. 
They were, however, to wear sandals
but not a second tunic. 
He said to them,
“Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave. 
Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you,
leave there and shake the dust off your feet
in testimony against them.” 
So they went off and preached repentance. 
The Twelve drove out many demons,
and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.

************************************************************************************

Last week we read about (but I didn't write about...) how Jesus was rejected in his hometown.  (Mark 6:1-6) 
 Home.  
The place that should always be welcoming and refreshing-- a haven, if you will.  It stings a little to read about people basically calling Jesus an "ordinary" man; dismissing him.

So, now Jesus is calling his closest friends to him and is giving them instructions on how they are to go out and teach.  I mean, they have seen him do miraculous things, so they KNOW he is the real deal...but they also know that he is not honored by everyone.  They know that they will not be welcomed in every place.  If, to some, Jesus is just "the son of the carpenter" then they will absolutely be called "crazy".  It's probably more than a little daunting to have this task set before them.

So, Jesus tells them to buddy up and also, side-note, don't take anything along with you.  Like, as in, nothing.  I'm not going to lie to you, I might have thrown in the towel here.  
"Ok, Jesus, you're asking me to go out and preach repentance. Great.  I'm all for it.  You're asking me to put myself in situations where I am going to be mocked and ridiculed.  Not as awesome, but ok, I can get on board.   And now...now, I can't bring along a second tunic?  I really do want to preach the Gospel, but I just want to look good while I'm doing it."

I think there is always somewhere that we want to draw the line with Jesus.  

We will help this person who needs a friend...until they make me uncomfortable or ask too much of me.  And then I'm done. 

We will give money to those in need...but only a "reasonable" amount.  

We will forgive that person we don't like...but not a fourth or fifth time.  

We will talk about grace being poured out for us...but not really believe it's being poured out for those people.

We will surrender our hearts to Jesus...except for that dark corner in the back where we keep our gossip, lust, gluttony, bitterness, or whatever guilty pleasure we like to hide back there.  

I'm preaching to myself here but I am guessing I'm not alone.  We all have that thing that we are holding onto.  That thing that, when we are holding onto it and Jesus comes near, we start to slowly back away from Him.

Maybe we are fine giving things up for Jesus.  Just not all the things.

But that's what Jesus is asking the apostles to do.  That's what he's asking us to do.  Can you see Him gently taking their hands, asking them to hand over their things?

No food, no sack, no money.  Just trust.  In the One who is able to sustain you in all things.

He is asking us to depend on Him for the grace, for the contentment, for the complete surrender.

Gospel Reading for Sunday, June 28 Mark 5:21-43

I am not a Bible scholar.  I have no degree in Theology, nor do I claim to have some sort of profound wisdom when it comes to matters of faith.

I am just a person who loves Jesus.  I am a wife and mom and most of the time I have more questions than answers.

I lead a women's Bible study but there are plenty of Tuesday nights where I learn more from the women in attendance than they do from me.

With my Tuesday night gals, I have been studying the upcoming Sunday Gospel readings.  (Which is nice because when we go to church, I am almost always taking at least one little boy to the bathroom during the readings and/or sermon).

As another way to study and process each week's Gospel, I am going to attempt to write about my thoughts here.  I say attempt because you know how I am with the follow-through.  Ahem.

So, read along if you like.  And as I said, expect no major revelations here.  :)

From USCCB.org:

GospelMK 5:21-43

When Jesus had crossed again in the boat
to the other side,
a large crowd gathered around him, and he stayed close to the sea.
One of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came forward.
Seeing him he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, saying,
“My daughter is at the point of death.
Please, come lay your hands on her
that she may get well and live.”
He went off with him,
and a large crowd followed him and pressed upon him.

There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years.
She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors
and had spent all that she had.
Yet she was not helped but only grew worse.
She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd
and touched his cloak.
She said, “If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured.”
Immediately her flow of blood dried up.
She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.
Jesus, aware at once that power had gone out from him,
turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who has touched my clothes?”
But his disciples said to Jesus,
“You see how the crowd is pressing upon you,
and yet you ask, ‘Who touched me?’”
And he looked around to see who had done it.
The woman, realizing what had happened to her,
approached in fear and trembling.
She fell down before Jesus and told him the whole truth.
He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has saved you.
Go in peace and be cured of your affliction.”

While he was still speaking,
people from the synagogue official’s house arrived and said,
“Your daughter has died; why trouble the teacher any longer?” 
Disregarding the message that was reported,
Jesus said to the synagogue official,
“Do not be afraid; just have faith.”
He did not allow anyone to accompany him inside
except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James.
When they arrived at the house of the synagogue official,
he caught sight of a commotion,
people weeping and wailing loudly.
So he went in and said to them,
“Why this commotion and weeping?
The child is not dead but asleep.”
And they ridiculed him.
Then he put them all out.
He took along the child’s father and mother
and those who were with him
and entered the room where the child was.
He took the child by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum,”
which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise!”
The girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around.
At that they were utterly astounded.
He gave strict orders that no one should know this
and said that she should be given something to eat.

*****************************************************************

Um, wow.  As if I need to say anything after that.  Here we read of two miracles:  Jesus heals Jairus' daughter and he heals a woman afflicted with hemorrhaging.

I asked the ladies at Bible study to think about three questions as we read through:
1.  From this passage, what can we learn about the heart of God?
2.  From this passage, what can we learn about our relationship with God?
3.  What is a practical application for your life this week?

I'll tell you what I felt God teaching me in regards to each of these questions, but by all means, ask Him what He wants to teach you.  These are great questions to think about no matter what scripture passage you're meditating on.

1.
God has a compassionate heart.  And not just in a way where he says "I'm sorry that your daughter is dying.  That's not what I desire for you".  But in a way that says "I will come.  I will walk with you.  I don't want you to go alone.  Let me come and touch her.  Let me gather your family and speak life to your daughter.  Let me prove my faithfulness by making her alive again."

I also learned, though, that Jesus doesn't mind interruption.  Remember he is on his way to heal Jairus' daughter.  When a woman in the crowd touches him, an unclean woman at that, he not only grants her healing but he stops.  God himself stops.  He sees her.  He encourages her and he grants her peace.  He is not too busy for someone who is lowly and struggling and desperate.



As they continue, we see that Jesus has a bigger plan than what we can see and understand in our humanness.  Yes, it's beautiful that Jesus is taking his time and helping people along the way, meanwhile Jairus' daughter has died.  Died.  Jesus could have prevented her death-- either by hurrying the heck up or by curing her from afar.  But he didn't.  I don't know about you, but if I were Jairus, I might be more than a little ticked here.  He comes to Jesus trusting that he will make his daughter well and then she dies.  I am guessing that some of the people that were at Jairus' house missed the miracle.  Have you ever missed it?  I know I have.  And I know there are times when I probably missed a miracle and I didn't even realize it.  These people come to announce the girl's death, they mourn for her.  And I bet some of them walked away before the miracle because Jesus didn't do what they wanted him to do.  Can you relate?  You pray for something miraculous and it doesn't end up the way you wanted it to.  I have prayed these prayers, friends.  I have felt this let down when we get to the eleventh hour and Jesus still hasn't shown up.  Can we trust him?  Even in death?  Can we trust him in the disappointment?  Can we trust that the miracle might be happening in a different way?  In a different time?  This story helps me to say "yes".  Even when I don't feel like it.

I learned that Jesus is less about big spectacles and more about making disciples.  And the way to do that is in smaller groups, in meaningful relationships.  Don't get me wrong, there were obviously times when He worked in the big ways!  But, here are all these people at Jairus' house, doubting, and Jesus?  Jesus puts them all out.  What matters to him in this moment, is taking a few people (the girl's parents, and Peter, James, and John) in to witness this miracle.  In to be changed by what they saw.  Disciples are not usually made in big crowds (of course there are exceptions!)  But, often, disciples are made in quiet, difficult moments, one-on-one with the Lord.




2.
I learned that coming to Jesus takes humility.  In order for us to have an authentic relationship I need to be able to come to him, even when I am unclean.  As one of the ladies at my study pointed out, I sometimes need to be able to push my way through the crowd to get to Jesus. It's not always an easy task.  Sometimes there is so much standing in our way we wonder if it's worth it.  Sometimes the "crowd" between us and Jesus seems daunting, even impossible.  But if we can just get to him.  We know He can make everything right.  I need to come sinful and sorrowful like the woman.  I need to walk with him and wait on his timing like Jairus.

I am called to trust Jesus.  When I am embarrassed.  When the way to him is crowded and overwhelming.  When I don't understand what he is doing.  When his ways are not like my ways.  When he doesn't answer my prayer the way I hoped he would.  He is still good.  Jesus, I trust in you.

I need to remember that some interruptions are God-ordained.  Most of the time I am busy and running around trying to be "efficient" with my time, and, let's be honest, probably annoyed about something or other.  I need to slow and still.  I need to listen to that small voice telling me to reach out.  I need to seize that teachable moment with my kids instead of rolling my eyes.  When we are in true relationship with God, we are listeners.  We are doers.  Regardless of what is happening around us.

I was reminded that I can trust Jesus to care for my children.  It might not look the way I want it to.  But Jesus desires life for my children.  He does not want me to fear.  He wants me to have faith.  Faith in his timing and in his power.  Faith that He loves them more than I ever could.  Faith that He knows the way to give them life.


3.  Practical application?  Well, obviously I have a long list here.  I could have chosen all of these things.  I wanted to narrow it down to one so I am praying about/working on embracing interruptions this week.

Jesus, help me to speak and act intentionally in each moment.

Lord, help me fake it till I make it.

The thing is, it has been an overwhelming couple of months.

And I know that I probably have an overwhelming 18 years or so in front of me.  Because there is just always something.  Always a new phase, always a child to worry about, a behavior to correct, a heart to shape, a book to read, a scrape that needs a band-aid, a bill that needs to be paid, a decision that needs to be made, dinner to cook, a soccer practice we need to get to...and there is always, always laundry.

This is what the mamas do.  They do all of this hard and holy work all day everyday.  It's miraculous, really.  But it can get pretty overwhelming.

And when I get overwhelmed, I want to hide in my room and come out when life gets easier.  But that is not a thing.

SO, I'm making my list.  So, that instead of hiding, I can go into my room and take a deep breath, and pray that I become this kind of woman in the midst of the overwhelming.  Basically, I'm praying the Lord will help me fake it till I make it.

I will not give up.

I will stay in the pool.

I will depend on God.

I will remember that "my" children belong to the Lord.

I will fight for them not against them.

I will find joy and fulfillment in God alone.

I will enjoy my children.

I will bless my husband.

I will keep my eyes on eternity.

I will speak life.

I will stop to pray.

I will put my phone down.

I will be present.

I will extend grace.

I will not react; I will act purposefully.

I will not hurry.

I will be quick to listen and slow to speak.

I will not have idle hands.

I will remember that holy is hard.  And just because it's hard doesn't mean I'm failing.

I will choose joy.

I will let them be little.

I will allow the Holy Spirit to guide me.

I will love, love, love.


********************************************************************




How do you preach to yourself when you're overwhelmed?

For the Moms

What can we even say about our moms?  Who has loved us like they have?

I am so blessed to have a mom who is unwavering in her love for me.  I have never doubted it.  We are very different people, but I have always known her love for me.  I am so grateful.  During her last visit, I was watching her play with Silas - this silly card game (if you can even call it that) that Silas made up.  She took the time to sit with him and just be silly.  She let him direct the "game" and she just went along with it.  They sat there for probably a half an hour and he laughed and laughed.  It reminded me of my great-grandma Ruth.  We could always get her to play something ridiculous with us. It's always the small moments that matter, isn't it?  It reminded me I need to slow down.  I need to be silly with my kids and not so structured.  Thanks, Mom. I love you more than words can say.

Joe's mom asked me to call her "mom" when we got married.  I thought it would take some getting used to, but it really didn't.  They have always treated me like a daughter (without the "in-law tagged on the end).  I am blessed to have another mom who listens, encourages, and loves unconditionally.  I will never forget the phone call that brought us to our knees almost three years ago.  Cancer.  I remember standing in their kitchen when she brought out a brush full of hair and announced "it's starting".  I scrubbed that kitchen while she napped like I could somehow scrub the disease away; spilled my tears all over the floor begging God to let her stay.  I am so grateful He said yes.  So grateful.  I love you, Mom.  Thanks for raising the best man I know.

My kids are so lucky to have these two beautiful women as their grandmothers.

Which brings me to my gram.  We have a pretty special relationship.  Not everyone is lucky enough to have close relationships with their grandparents.  I was and am so lucky.  My grandma always says that when she went to stay with my parents the week I was born, she and I would go for walks out on the farm on those warm August nights.  Just the two of us - so Mom and Dad could get some sleep.  She says that's when our bond began.  Being that my mom raised us by herself after my Dad died, my grandparents helped a lot.  We spent nights at their house while my mom traveled for work, they came to tumbling meets and baseball games, took us to practices and made us treats.  I have learned so many things from her.  My grandma showed me what it means to be a wife who blesses her husband.  She always reminds me not to take time with loved ones for granted.  I think one of the biggest things I have learned from her is how to be a woman of prayer.  My grandma is a very faithful woman.  She prays for our family, and for so many others, daily.  I have no doubt that those prayers, woven through the years, have made all the difference.  God bless matriarchs who pray for their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

I am thankful for these women.  I am thankful for my Grandma Bea - who I wish I would have had more time with.  We had just kind of figured out our relationship when she was called Home.  I love hearing stories about her (a mom of four boys) and imagining what kind of advice she would give me in raising my little boys to be men.

I am thankful for all the other women who have been motherly to me at some point in my life. The ones who have taken the time to invest in relationship with me, who have taught me how to be a better woman and mom to my kids. Teachers, coaches, mentors.  Too many to list.

I am thankful for all my friends who are "other mothers" to my kids.  These women have helped care for them, have prayed for them, have been examples to them.

I am thankful for my sister-in-law who is an awesome mama to my two nephews.  I am so proud of how she advocates for Jack.  She has handled a difficult diagnosis with grace and love.  She knows the road that lies ahead and she is committed to living in hope for her boys.  Amazing.

I am thankful for my kids' godmothers.  Chrissy, Mary, Angie, and Suzee, where would we be without you?  I am confident that your prayers sustain us on the hard days and inspire the good days.  I have no doubt my kids will be closer to the Lord because of you.

On Mother's Day, I am praying for the friends I have that have lost babies or have lost their moms. I am praying for the friends who want to be moms but aren't.  I know how special days can seem awful sometimes.  I am sorry.  I hope you feel how incredibly loved you are today.

And, of course, I am thankful for my four beautiful blessings that call me "Mom".  I am not a perfect one.  I wish I was better.  And I will keep trying.  But my prayer to God is always this:  "In spite of my failings, let them know Your unfailing love."  Roman, Judah, Silas, and Nora, I hope you will always know my love for you even when I fail.  And I hope that you will come to know and love the One who will never fail you.

Happy Mother's Day

Welp, it's me again.

Nothing like a five month hiatus to prove that I am not on my A game. 

:)

So, here's the deal.  When the kids do something adorable/hilarious/precious/horrible enough to make me cry but ridiculous enough to make someone else laugh, I make a little note of it in my phone in the handy dandy Notes app.

Which is all well and good until you get a new phone.  Don't worry, I didn't lose them, they are just saved to an external hard drive which I currently cannot locate.  See what I mean with the A game?

I'll give you what I've got off the top of my head and I'll post the other gems probably about a year from now.

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Nora is now seven months old.  What?  You thought she was an infant?  Yes, yes she was the last time you read this blog.  She is crawling, pulling herself up to a stand, says "dada", has two teeth, and can wave.  And sometimes I think she can also clap.  I'm not sure if it's on purpose, though.  She continues to be the sweetest baby.  Her fuzzy little baby head just makes me swoon. 

Her brothers make her laugh all day long.  Mostly by running towards her and yelling at the top of their lungs.  This baby is afraid of nothing.  She will sleep right through drumming and loud music of any kind. 

And I'll tell ya what.  Girl can eat.  She likes her food and she prefers it NOW.  As soon we started feeding her solids, she became the LOUDEST child.  If we are eating and she is not in her high chair...well, she's not havin that.  She doesn't even cry.  She just yells at you.  And she likes every food that we have ever given her.  Please, God, let her stay not picky.

Speaking of food, wanna know how to tell you're the fourth child?  You have been introduced the following foods - in this order:  avocado, pineapple, raspberries, FRENCH FRIES, blueberries, mashed potatoes, mango, broccoli, banana, applesauce, etc.

Do you see anything wrong with this picture?  If so, you obviously don't have four children.


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Silas David is ridiculous as all get out.  He is the cutest, happiest boy until he is the most deviant.  He currently specializes in flooding the bathroom, covering his body in band-aids, and writing on walls (I have several large smiley face murals in my basement - I'm just going to leave them there until we repaint). 

But I wish I could describe the cute.  He is so cuddly and so excited about everything in life.  Especially helping in the kitchen.

He says really funny things right now.  For example, he gets the words "mango" and "flamingo" confused.  I.e.  "Feed Nora some flamango".

He always has a skip in his step and he is kind of on the short side for his age so everything he does is just CUTE.

The other night he asked me to lay with him at bedtime and so I did.  As we were chatting casually he said "Mom, I sat on Jesus' lap!"
"You did?" I asked.
"Yeah".
silence for a while
"Well, did you talk to God?"
"Yeah, Jesus asked me about my favorite animal", he said, "And Heaven is like music".

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Judah, my Judah-boy.  He has a loose tooth in the front that is coming out any day now.  I can't believe he will be six in a couple of months.  Judah has gotten quite a bit more talkative over the last few months.  And I just love hearing about what's going on in that little brain of his. 

My favorite times with Judah are, surprisingly, when he comes out of his room in the evening after the other boys have fallen asleep.  He usually just wants some extra cuddle time and, being an introvert, he needs more one-on-one time than the other boys do.  So, unless we have to be somewhere early the next day, I usually indulge and get some sleepy time conversation in.  He is our animal lover and always tells us he would like to own ten dogs and ten cats.  The other night he told us he wanted to get a dog and name it "Scoober".  He went on and on about the sizes and colors all of his animals would be - he also told us he wanted to name one of his cats "Tinny". 

He is starting to tell me more about his dreams - most recently that he could jump on top of the house without using a ladder. 

He is a very loyal child.  He will fight all day with Silas but if he feels that I am "wrongly" angry with Silas he will tell me "Be nice to my brother!"

He is always the first to say he wants to protect me from something.

Judah has always been a child who likes physical affection but he plays hard to get.  He will go in for a side hug if it's someone he really likes.  He will hardly ever be the first to initiate it, and he very rarely gives a full-on hug.  Same with affectionate words.  I say "I love you, Judah" and he says "yes" or "I know".  (If you have seen the recent Peabody and Sherman movie, think about how Mr. Peabody responds to Sherman's "I love you"....he says "I have a deep regard for you as well, Sherman".)  I sometimes tease him and say "Do you love me, too, Judah?  Girls like to hear it when they are loved!"  And finally he will laugh and say "Yes, I love you".  But, he has started saying it more often un-prompted, which is a sweet sound to a mama's ears.  :)

In other news, he is getting so good at writing letters and numbers.  I am proud of that boy.


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Roman James is growing up.  I mean, this kid receives his First Communion in just two weeks.  I feel like we were just baptizing him.  He is excited and ready.  He loves Jesus and he got a suit.  And let me tell you, both of those things are a big deal to him.  He's going to be one spiffy looking dude.

Roman is still the friendliest guy you'll ever meet.  He remembers everyone's name and every detail of most days of his life.  We will talk about a random event sometimes and he'll remember things about the day that everyone else has long forgotten.  For example, the other day we were talking about when Joe had to get stitches in his thumb a couple years ago.  Roman said "yeah, and then we went to the Kems for pizza"....uh, sure.

He is a great reader, he's very good at spelling, and he is super creative.  He is always making something out of recycled materials (or shall we say "materials I tried to put in the recycling bin" :))  He really likes to make swords and shields out of cardboard.  He used a round cooler and a bungee cord to make a bass drum he could wear today. 

Speaking of drums - he is quite the little drummer boy.  He has some good rhythm and there is nothing he loves more than listening to music or talking about music. 

He seems to be trying to decide if he is going to be in a band or be an actor when he grows up. 

Roman is super helpful around the house and is cheerful and encouraging most of the time.  He is a joy to have around!

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To wrap up, I just have to share some awesome videos.  Joe's sister, Angie, introduced us to the funniest app.  We have had so many good laughs with this.  Check out Dubsmash in the app store if you need some entertainment!

Alright, boys, it's your turn!

Nora has been the talk of the town lately, but I wanted to make sure I got some of these cute little stories about the boys on the blog before I forget them.  Because I will.  Today when I was writing thank-you notes for baby gifts I started realizing that I I'm pretty sure I sent two thank yous to a couple of people.  So, if you get two or zero thank-you notes from me, I apologize.

Anyway.

First, a few of the adorable things we have overheard them saying about their little sister.

Roman:
"Having a baby is such a miracle."

Judah:
"Who's my sweetest girly?"

Silas:
"Nora's my buddy."
"I love my baby."
He is also a very good little helper when it comes to Nora.  One day when she was fussing, he went running into the other room and yelled "I'm gonna get Nora's binky!  I'm gonna protect my sister!"
If Nora is crying, Silas will come to me and say "Will you please feed Nora?"

And now for the funnies:

Roman: 

• A couple of weeks after Nora was born, Roman told me "Mom, I think Nora's twin is still in your tummy."           ...            Why, thank you, son.
• Roman just recently learned to tie his shoes.  I know, we're a little late on the shoe tying and it's totally my fault.  But, one day when he was practicing he was getting quite frustrated and finally exploded:  "I'm never going to be able to tie my shoes until I'm 40!"  You guys, I laughed until I cried.  I promised him that it would not take him that long to learn.  The beautiful irony is that he finally got it...later that same day. 
• he is really into running.  I have actually been making him run laps around the house between school subjects and we both enjoy that.  :)  We have been on a run/walk together a couple of times since Nora's birth - I'm hoping that will be good motivation for me to get back into a workout routine.
• he loves playing war.  What was I thinking?  I forgot that it is a never-ending game. 

Judah:

• he has been full of funnies lately!  Many of which are rather graphic, so I'll just tell you that we have had many conversations about boys and girls and anatomy.
• When Tony came to visit for the first time after Nora's birth, he got here really late at night.  The boys ran down to wake him up in the morning and starting telling him "you have to come see Nora!"  Tony asked them "Who is Nora?"  He was expecting them to respond "She's my sister."  Or "She was just born".  He said all Judah could come up with was "He's a girl."
• Somewhere along the line, I made the mistake of telling the boys that "If you do that (I don't remember what THAT was...there are so many options), you could die".  So, now every time I ask Judah not to do something dangerous he asks "Will that make me died?"
• I also sometimes tell them that certain things are not just my rules, but God's rules.  So, he has gotten into the habit of questioning me.  About everything.  For example, I will say "Judah, go brush your teeth."  He will respond "Did God say to do that?"
• Since Nora's birth, Judah has kind of been acting like a teenager.  We hear a lot of responses like this:  "I never get to do that!"  or "I need some space!"  or  "you're making me angry!"
• The funniest/not funniest angry outburst came one day when we were leaving the park.  He didn't want to leave.  I told him to do the monkey bars one more time and then we would leave.  He said no.  Then we got to the car and he said "I want to do the monkey bars one more time".  When I told him that ship had sailed he got even more upset with me.  We stood by the van going back and forth for a while.  I'll tell ya.  That kid has some endurance.  He is relentless.  I'm sure this will come in handy for many things in his life.  For now, it's forcing me to grow in virtue (or fail at growing in virtue, depending on the day).  Anyway, I eventually came to the point where I said "Judah, if you don't get in the car, I will have to take your Larry Boy costume away".  He yelled back at me "BUT THEN I WOULD BE NAKED!"  Oh my.  I obviously didn't mean I was going to take it off of his body at that exact moment, but it made for a good laugh in the midst of the frustration.
• One day the boys were playing hide-and-seek while I was nursing Nora.  Judah was having a hard time finding Roman.  He finally came up to me and said "Do you think Roman is dead?'
• For our family prayer time, each person gets a chance to pray spontaneously and then we all say the Lord's Prayer together at the end.  These are always really sweet.  I'm always impressed with the people and things they pray for.  At the end of the Lord's prayer one night, Judah started asking about what some of the words mean.  "What does evil mean?"  "What does temptation mean?'  And then he asked "What does bread mean?" He meant it in reference to "Give us this day our daily bread".  So, I started explaining that this is when we ask God for the things that we need. I told them that God is our father and he wants to provide for us.  He wants to give us good things.  And so we ask him for the things we need.  We ask him to give us enough.  Judah thought about that for a while and then he said "But sometimes we eat macaroni and donuts."     

Silas:

• is so proud of Nora.  Everywhere we go - grocery store, park, target - he will announce (to every stranger we see "We have a baby sister!  Her name is Nora"  and then he will ask "Do you wanna hold her?"    Uh, no thank you, Silas.  Awkward.
• One day I overheard Silas telling Nora "Nora, Father Jeff is going to come baptize you.  And it's not gonna hurt.  It's gonna feel good."
• he is currently very concerned about raccoons.  We can be in the middle of the city, but if it's dark out he will be in a panic to get to the car.  "We gotta hurry so we don't get 'tacked by raccoons!"
• Things that the word "trigger" is the word "sugar".  He will bring me a Nerf gun and say "Can you pull the sugar for me?"