I Just Don't Understand

Just this afternoon a dear friend and I were briefly discussing some of the strange things boys say and do and how we, as females, do not understand their ways.  When she dropped Isaac off from school he and his buddy were deep in serious conversation about stomachs exploding and heads falling off (or something of the sort).  This is what originally spawned the conversation.

And as the adage goes, boys will be boys.

But it doesn't mean that their actions aren't totally foreign to us females.

Tonight Caleb was done with his evening chores before his brothers.  He was on dish duty and his brothers were on playroom duty and Caleb was diligent to go fast.  He asked to play.  I, of course, obliged him.  He came to me a few minutes later with three real screwdrivers and this was his desperate plea.  "Mom, can you please find me something to poke holes in!!"  My first reaction was, "No crazy boy!  Go find something else."  But then I took a step back, tried to relate to his need to attack something, and went out to the recycle bin to find him some sort of cardboard box.

It's not that he needed to be violent.  He just needed to poke holes.  And he was perfectly happy doing so.   He even proudly showed me his handiwork at the end, to which all I could respond was, "Wow!  Such great holes!!"  Evidently, that sort of praise was exactly what he was looking for because he walked off brimming with pride.

Totally strange to my female mind.

Totally awesome and perfectly normal to him.

The other day Caleb and Joshua were playing so nicely together outside.  I knew something was up.  They usually fight constantly (so unlike my older two).  I went out and found them building a fire in the back of their Dad's truck.  They were carting wagons full of wood out from the back to the front, actually working together to load it, and then building a "fire" just like their Dad has taught them to (little sticks and paper on the bottom, small logs, then big logs).  The only thing missing was the actual fire.  But why in the back of the truck?

And then there sat Miss Elle.  She was in on the whole thing too.  Except her role was to just sit in the wagon, catch a ride and look adorable.  No one told her to do it.  She just did.
 
It was as if she was totally unaware of the absolute exertion they were putting into carting her and all of that wood around...up and down the cement steps leading to the back and everything.  As they grunted and pushed to get her and their precious load around all sorts of obstacles, she just smiled.  I half expected her to ask one of them to fetch her a nice cold drink.  "Baba please!  Baba!!"  And they would have because they love her.  Now that was a typical scenario right there.  Beloved woman gets doted on by two adoring fans and it should be that way :)!

Being a woman, I totally get THAT.  Ha ha!  But all of the stomachs exploding talk, poking holes in boxes with a screwdriver, and the building of a manly fire in the back of a pick-up...

I just don't understand at all.

But I do adore it just the same.

Kinda Like a First

Something rather special occurred in our home this last Sunday night. Steve just happened to finish up his math assignment early on in the weekend so he was around more than usual. Because of this, we decided to take advantage of his bit of freedom to take Isaac out on a little Daddy date.

But this wasn't just any Daddy date. It was something we had been planning for a long time...a few months in fact.

On this special night, his Daddy took him out to ice cream to give him his first real Bible.

A few months ago, we started realizing that he still didn't have a complete Bible. Now that he can read pretty fluently, we thought it would be the right time to get him one. But where to look? Back in the day, before so much online shopping, one could just walk into their local Christian bookstore. But we don't have one in our area. So we were forced to look online. The only downside was that it's hard to get a feel for the style of the Bible without looking at it in person.

There weren't too many criteria but there were a few things we were dead set-on. It had to be a full Bible (not a shortened version) in the ESV (because that's the version we have and we wanted it to be the same for simplicity's sake). We also didn't want it to be too childish. We don't have anything wrong with kiddy pictures but we didn't want it too cartoony because hey, that's just our style.

We finally found one that got great reviews at Walmart for $16. Can you say score? Not only that but, it's put out by Desiring God Ministries (John Piper). And pretty much, my husband is in love with John Piper so...we were sold. All of the study notes throughout the Bible are written by them and so they are really well done. The pictures are realistic and not too silly either. Double win! Ha!

So back to Sunday. We'd already had an adventurous afternoon with Elliana in Urgent Care due to a cut on her cheek that needed gluing. We were all a tad tired. So we waited until it was time for everyone to go to bed. And then Steve announced, as Isaac was brushing his teeth, that he needed to put his clothes back on and come with him. He had a present in his hand. Isaac was dumbfounded. His brothers were heartbroken (but I had a little trick up my sleeve for them, so it worked out okay). And off they went.

In the meantime, I put Elliana down and then I broke out the last two cupcakes from Caleb's Reformation Day Party at school the Thursday before. All was forgotten and Joshua and Caleb were giggling over the gummy worms. I made Diet of Wermes Cupcakes in honor of Martin Luther's trial (Diet is the German word for trial; and this Diet/Trial was held in the city of Wermes, Germany).

Later Steve filled me in on their little time. They went to "Froster's"...Foster's Freeze that is and Steve gave him the Bible. Isaac was so, SO excited.

It was a special night that we'll always remember. It was kinda like a first. You see, we know of a family that took their sons through various "ceremonies" I guess you could call them, at different points of their lives. These ceremonies were intentional with the hope of teaching them how to become men who love the Lord. We've always wanted to emulate that.

So among many steps, this was just the first one. It was pretty special for us to have Steve take his firstborn son out, give him his first Bible and tell him how much it means to him and how it will teach Isaac how to live...to love God and love others.

Pretty special indeed.

Learning to Fail

I have an oldest child who hates failure. Hates it. He's not excellent in every area but he tries to be. For instance, one of his buddies is a really fast runner. He beats Isaac nearly every time they race. It's hard for Isaac, but he keeps trying. He is persistent and will still race even though he knows he's not the fastest. This is good and I'm glad that he deals with these situations. But in school, that is where he does excel. School challenges him and fascinates him. And it keeps him on toes as he tries to learn more and more and get better and better at all the different subjects. He aims high and often isn't disappointed.

Although I am glad that he works really hard, it's also important for him to learn that we all make mistakes. We just can't be perfect all the time. Life isn't that way and people aren't build that way. We have to extend grace to ourselves and others.

This is where he struggles. Mostly with himself.

Yesterday he had a very difficult time with a spelling test. The last few weeks he had been getting 100%s on the pre-test which meant he didn't have to take the real test on Friday. He was really happy about that and worked hard at practicing. And these aren't easy words people. They're really hard. Where and were...on the same test! Psalm...island, they, does, brush, and so on. They don't all "follow the rules" as he will inform me, so there is a lot to remember. They're tough!! (We're glad it's tough though because it pushes him and he needs to be challenged!! All kids do!)

He's also still learning the whole process of taking a spelling test. The words aren't repeated at the end and he has to number, as well as write. To a little six-year-old who is still remembering how to write his letters perfectly, it's a lot to get done. So sometimes, it's easy to fall behind and miss a word. It happens at times at home when we practice, and occasionally it happens at school.

Yesterday's test was the review test. So even though he had seen all of the words before, there were 40 of them. That's a lot of remembering and numbering. When he got half way through the test, he had fallen a bit behind and missed a word. Once he did, tears began streaming down his face and he began to panic. Panic. He couldn't miss a word...that meant he wouldn't get 100%! The tears turned into sobs and his very sweet teacher tried to console him that it was just a practice and he'd get another chance the next day. But he couldn't pull it together. He had wanted to get them all right. Since it was the middle of the spelling test and after numerous attempts to get him to dry up his tears, she had to ask him to sit outside in the hall until he could calm down. He did calm down and came back to finish up. At that point though, he had missed quite a few.

When this story was relayed to Steve and me, I was so thankful for it. I know that sounds funny, but I was. First of all, the school Isaac goes to is so excellent so I knew that he was in good hands. I was thankful his teacher was there encouraging Isaac to ask God to help him gain control and praying for him. I was also thankful that he had experienced a failure in an area that he normally excels in. Since he already has that bent toward trying to be "perfect" it's so good for him to see that he's not and that it's okay. We all need grace. That's why Christ came in the first place.

Steve had a good talk with him last night and he re-took the test today. I could tell he was doing better when he climbed in the car and said, "Mom, my spelling test went great. I only missed two."

I want him to aim high because many times, he will succeed. His determination and drive are wonderful character traits to possess. But I also want him to know he will fail. And I want him to learn to walk himself through that whole process even when we're not there. Because like yesterday, we weren't around to coach him. He had to do it himself and so often in his life, he will have to learn to deal with his failures gracefully all on his own.

Often, when I'm thinking about an area that needs work with one of my kids, I'll add on ten to fifteen years and think to myself, "What would this (insert anything) look like at that point in their lives?" And I'm always compelled to be thankful for the lessons they are facing now so that when they are older, they will have at least have experience with those particular hardships, whatever they are.

For Isaac, it's good to learn to fail to see that failure in itself doesn't have to be the end. It's what he does with it that really matters. This situation turned out all right. I'm glad he was able to recover and do much better today.

However, it's not easy for me to see him fail either. As his mama, it's hard to watch!! But, I guess I can say that I'll be thankful when another situation shakes out like this again.

It'll be good for both of us.

Boys Day Out

We have shared season tickets to the 49ers for a few years now and this last Sunday, it was our turn to go to the game. In a crazy moment, we decided to take all of the boys since Joshy could still get in without a ticket. He gets left out of so many things still due to his age so, since we could bring him, we wanted to do it.

It was tons of fun.

We left Elliana with Grandma for the day and off we went.

Our version of tailgating was leftover pizza, chips and juice boxes. If you bring juice boxes to pretty much anything, you're an instant hero. So if you add chips to the equation, you can basically be transformed into a super hero in two seconds flat.

Just call us Mr. and Mrs. Incredible okay?!

Spittin' image, I know.

The only bummer about the game, besides the fact that they lost their ten point lead in the fourth quarter and then lost in overtime, was that it was extremely hot.

And I mean HOT!

It's never that hot at Candlestick (San Francisco for you out-of-towners)...ever.

But yesterday it was.

The boys (all of us rather) endured the heat for nearly three hours with the help of lemonade, ice cream and frequent head dousings with the water bottle and then we had to call it quits. It was just too hot.

We left right at the beginning of the Fourth Quarter.

But we missed the crazy traffic and didn't have to watch the heartbreaking loss at the end. In n Out always helps too at these moments.

I was just thankful to have my hands free of the baby to be able to hold hands and cuddle my boys.

Regardless of the heat and the loss, it truly was an excellent day.

PS: Andy Dollahite, I know that you were gloating as you thought of us poor 49er fans yesterday but just remember, you had to wear the 49er jersey all those years ago...we'll get you guys next time!!

Some Firsts and a Slain Dragon

School started for my family this week. What that means is that Steve and Isaac went back full-time yesterday and Caleb had his first day of Junior Scholars (preschool) today. Isaac was super excited that he gets to go to school all day (six hours to be exact...thank you little Mathy) and of course the husband was ready as well. They both slipped back into their routine fairly easily.

For Caleb, the transition was not so easy and once again, I found myself scratching my head trying to figure out how best to encourage him. I never had to deal with Isaac being afraid-ever. But Caleb is his own person with strengths and weaknesses and for him, school was terrifying. It's not that school itself was horrible. It was the idea of the unknown. I knew that once he went and saw how great it was, he'd be won.

But that's what it is with him and everything...he has to be won.

If he decides against something he puts all of his gusto, force, spirit and fight into HATING it. He's very black and white and likes to live in absolutes. Oftentimes we'll hear him saying, "I'll never (emphasis on never) go to that playground because it has a black slide there" or something to that affect. But then if you get him to see that the slide is fun and his fear is trying to trick him into not having fun, that slide will become his best friend and he will ride it until we say it's time to go home.

He just has to be won.

So I knew that he'd decided against school because it was unknown and that he'd have to be won. I wasn't sure how it would happen but figured we'd just play it by ear. The first part didn't go so well. I had Elliana on my back and Curious George Joshua at my side. Meanwhile Caleb wouldn't look at anyone and merely cried.

We went out to the car and I explained two things to him that were nonnegotiable:
1. He was going to school even if he was afraid.
2. I was eventually going to go home and he couldn't come with me.

After our little chat, we went back in with tears still streaming down his face. He was determined to hate it but what he didn't know was that I was even more determined for him to see the good and the fun in learning. I knew that once he got a taste of how sweet it was going to be, he'd be sold. As we arrived, they were singing the Hello Song. I saw him perk up just a little bit. Last year, at his little neighborhood preschool class, they sang the Hello Song and he loved it. When he sat down, they sang to him.

That did it.

He started to smile. The tears stopped and a minute later he was standing in line with everyone else. I never quite know what the magic formula will be causing him to take that giant leap over his fears but, when it happens, its effects are pretty immediate.

The littles and I stayed in the foyer for awhile to make sure he was past being upset. He glanced back at me every couple of minutes to make sure I was still there. Each time, his grin grew wider and when I saw his eyes sparkling, I knew it was okay for us to go. I gently told him I was on my way home and would see him soon. He just smiled.

When he got home at lunch today I asked him about school. He's a man of few words but what I got was this, "It was great Mom! Just GREAT! And I listened. I'm NOT pretending."

I knew it. I knew he'd love it. He just had to be won.

That kid is a walking mystery sometimes. He's so brave and tough yet so afraid at the same time. Steve always says he has to learn to fight what's bad not what's good. At this age, that's really hard for him to discern. Oftentimes, we have to be that lens for him. In other words, don't fight school. Fight your fears about school. If we can steer his fight in the right direction, he's going to make it.

He will have many more battles and dragons to fight over his lifetime. But it looks like the Be Afraid of School dragon has been slain. It took some familiarity, some courage and a bunch of God's grace.

Phew....glad that one's over. It was a little too close for my comfort. But that's what parenting Caleb does for me. It gets me close to that line where I don't know what to do, or how to best handle the situation and he gets me thinking outside the box again and again and again. God uses him to make us into better parents. Both Steve and I have such an affection for him because we seriously have to fight so hard for him sometimes!! We're determined not to let him go his own way because that way leads to death!! We love him too much.

We adore him, are so proud of him and are glad that this dragon is defeated. Especially since I'm sure it won't be long before we'll be fighting another one.

That Thursday

I remember. It was a Thursday exactly six years ago. We'd finally secured a permanent job for the husband just two weeks prior and had gotten a "new" car given to us by a generous family in our church after our others had been totaled-one by a drunk driver hit-and-run, the other by a careless out of town driver. We had packed our apartment and were ready to move on my husband's 26th birthday-the next day.

Six years ago I was on the brink of motherhood. I was bursting with child, scared, moving to a new town, tired from packing every single belonging we owned into boxes and unsure of what the future would hold.

And then at my last doctor's visit that very Thursday, I found out that the precious little boy inside had turned around. As in, he flipped footling breech and I would not be able to have the natural birth I had really wanted.

And on that Thursday six years ago, the reality of impending parenthood hit hard as we were told he'd be coming via c-section the next morning. His Daddy's birthday. Our moving day. My in-law's anniversary. Now our little one's birthday.

A few tears sprang to my eyes this morning as I remembered those moments. So much has happened since that day.

We grew from two to three then. Now we are six.

We were afraid. We were broken. We were vulnerable and unsure of how things would turn out. But amidst these fears, God gave us the grace needed to do what needed to be done in the face of our fears.

He gave us the courage to be brave. Not that we weren't afraid of all of the changes but, that we could face the unknown and keep walking. That's bravery anyway. It's not the absence of fear. It's the walking forward amidst and even despite fears.

Brave.

Birth never goes how you think it will. Everyone has their story. That was just ours. But looking back, there was so much grace, so much beauty and so much love that surrounded us. God was with us and He cared for us.

It will always be a major milestone for Steve and me. One that we will never forget. And in the end, we beheld Isaac...our Isaac, born into the world at a crazy time, in an unexpected way. God wove it all together and it was beautiful.

His beauty always is.

Six years ago today God helped us be brave. And the next day we received one of our greatest gifts...our first son. Our laughter. Our joy. Our light. Our gift.

Our Isaac.

Brothers

They didn't end up being on the same team but that's okay. They still got a quiet moment together today on third base.

And we were thankful that our second had no tears today. Last week spooked him a bit. But today he was determined to fight his fear and try again. He walked right up, made a great hit and ran the bases. Sometimes it's hard to know when to push and when to let them go but this time...it was the best thing to make him try again. If he wouldn't have tried, he wouldn't have made it home. Daddy was there to give him a high five.

Loving little league.

As American as Apple Pie

Sometimes I wonder why God blessed us with so many boys. We don't have the genes for it. What I mean is, we're both short. Really short. I'm just under 5 feet and Steve is 5' 7" on a "good day". So it's inevitable-all of our boys are going to have to go through life short. For girls, it's okay-even socially acceptable. But for boys, it's a totally different story.

From the get-go I've had to deal with many well meant comments that just came out all wrong. "Oh, what a tiny little thing. He is just SO light." And that's a tame one. There's not a comment I haven't heard about how little my boys are. Trust me, when you're trying to raise boys to be tough and strong, it can be a difficult. After much frustration regarding others' comments about my boys' size, I've finally learned to laugh about it a bit and respond with, "Nobody's surprised with how 'small' they are." I really don't have much else to say.

This is something that I have worried about-a lot. I have probably put waaayyy too much worry into it because, truthfully, God didn't make a mistake. They are who they are and He made them that way! But one of the things that I've worried about is the boys playing sports. It's very likely that they will be either the smallest or among the smallest on their teams and for some of them, sports in general may not come so easily.

Steve on the other hand, isn't worried a bit. We've had talks about it numerous times and every single time he reminds me that he's already been through it and will know how to guide them. He's already been the smallest. He's already had to work ten times harder than the bigger boys. And he's convinced it built a tremendous amount of character into him. As long as they don't give up and go hard, he doesn't care how good they are. Right, I get that and I agree.

Yet regardless, I still worry. Blah!

However, over the last couple of months, I've gotten a different glimpse than I expected into the whole sports scene as I've watched my oldest fall absolutely head over heels in love with our nation's favorite pastime-baseball. Baseball is about as good as it gets. It's as American as apple pie.

He's fallen hard. As in, he goes outside and practices numerous times a day. And he listens to the Giants play on the radio as much as we'll allow. He knows all the players, some of their stats, all the rules of the game and will recount exciting plays to me. One of his favorite things to do in the morning is ask his Dad first thing if the Giants won the night before while he was sleeping. Because you see, he knew the score when he went to bed...but the game wasn't over yet.

He just loves the game.

As I watch him practice and practice and practice, I can see that he wants to do his best. And my heart breaks knowing that he probably won't ever be the all star athlete he aspires to be. But when I hear how much he loves the game, it reminds me that it's not necessarily about being the best.

It's about being able to play. And being a part of something bigger that is important and fun. He and his brothers will always have their size stacked against them but, their Dad is right. They're going to learn a lot. And they will fail. Their mama just has to learn to deal with it. Failing isn't bad in itself. It's what we do with our failures and how we learn to turn them into something positive.

I think I have more to learn as I watch my sons enter the sports arena. We're not going to be a super sports family. But we will have them play one sport a year probably. And I know already that it will be hard for me. Yet just as God will be building their character as they play, He'll be building mine as well when I watch them succeed and fail.

We start t-ball this weekend. You think this guy is going to like it? Is there even a question?



This is why we play sports regardless of size or talent. It's for the love of the game. And really, learning to love sports is an incredible gift we can impart to our boys whether they're amazing at it or not. It builds character, encourages hard work and creates memories.

Take me out to the ball game. I'm getting ready.

A Little Bit of This...

Means a little bit of that.





What's that?

It's what we call around here a Jammy Ride. Stole the idea from these guys here.

Don't do it often and rarely during the winter BUT super fun to do when celebrating a good report card.

Our kids were none the wiser when we told them it was late and that they were going to bed right after dinner. And then we waited a bit...only to burst in and scream "Jammy Ride!" We then threw them all in the car and announced that we were going to none other than THE Baskin Robbins for some ice cream.

Pure elation.



Fun was had by all.


Even the little darlin'.

He did all the work...but all were blessed.

Not a bad start to the week.

Some days...

This is just how we make it!

This afternoon I came back from taking Joshua to the bathroom and found that Caleb had taken my spot while feeding Elle...yesterday, Isaac had done the same thing.

I just can't do everything. Thank God my oldest two are getting a bit older and jump in to help even without being asked. Of course feeding sister is a lot more exciting than other things. They don't always jump that quickly.

Joshua really wanted in on the action too...to which I graciously and respectfully declined. I'm sure you can all imagine why.

That little girl has many admirers.

Budding Artist

My dear oldest child drew this for Steve and me a few days ago. When he handed it to his Dad he nonchalantly added, "That's you and Mom when you got married." Holding in his laughter, Steve ran to the back to show me the picture and he and I died laughing together while we studied the details.

Then we both looked at each other and said, "Who's who?"

Well, can you tell?

We had to ask him.

What is your guess?

Doesn't it look just like us almost nine years ago?

Yep...just about right.

I love that kid.

A Certain Little Fairy...

Is making her debut appearance in our house tonight. All the hearts of the children were aflutter in anticipation.

My oldest, my BABY for crying out loud, lost his first tooth. I still can't believe it. He announced it triumphantly on the way home from church with blood streaming down his chin! Boys! And then when we asked him to produce the evidence by showing us where it was, he said, "I don't know." After getting home, we made a thorough search of the car and it was nowhere to be found. We think he must have swallowed it in his excitement!!

Once he realized he didn't have the tooth in hand, he pleadingly looked at me and implored, "But Mommy, what am I going to tell the Tooth Fairy?" Whaaaaaaaattt? How does he know about the Tooth Fairy? Apparently quite a bit, because in lieu of his tooth, he wrote her a note (one of his very best buddies did the same thing so he must've heard about it from him) and this is what it said.

Let me spell it out for you. "I will like mune (money) plees, can u plees git me supting. Its Isaac (in case she was confused)." Isn't he a genius? Ha ha ha! He wrote that all on his own. He sounded out the words and everything. I about died when I read it-it was so darn to-the-point and hilarious. He would like money but if worse comes to worse, just get him something! I could scarcely hide my laughter. That little letter is currently tucked safely under his pillow. I'm not sure what the going rate is these days. Whatever, days like today remind me simply of this: being a parent is the greatest.

Now I must go don my wings, flit about and "git that boy supting".

Goodnight!

The Little Yellow Note

My firstborn is a straight arrow. And I mean, a straight arrow. With that personality comes the added trait of being a rule follower. Typical. Well, I've seen this part of his character go to a new level this year with school. Here's an example: everyday the students get their initials on the board and if they get caught with their fingers in their mouth or nose, they get an initial erased. If both are erased at the end of the day, they don't get a sticker. But if they still have one, they get to bring home a sticker on their hand. I think the system is brilliant. Their teacher is trying to promote good sanitation which helps stop the spread of germs amongst the little tykes, as well as curb bad habits like nose picking. But, she does it in a positive way. They don't get in trouble for doing it they just don't get a sticker. I like that.

Anyhow. Like previously mentioned, my son is a rule follower and so these types of systems work very well for him. Each day he happily carries home his sticker and places it on his take home folder like the little type A personality kid that he is. He has gotten a sticker every single day and as he told me on Monday, he's been in school for fifty days. Now hear my point here before you think I'm boasting. Although I like it that he's listening and doing well at school, sometimes I would like him to flub up just a little bit because, like he'll find out soon enough, nobody's perfect and we can't expect too, too much out of ourselves or we'll end up disappointed. Life doesn't always work itself out into neat little boxes. It just doesn't and the faster he can learn that the better.

But anyway, enough background. Isaac is a straight arrow through and through. His Dad and I have definitely helped him a bit in this area but, being that he's a first-born and that its his personality, even if we hadn't encouraged him to follow the rules, I think he'd tend this way of his own accord anyway.

So today I went to pick him up from school and I was told there was a note for me in his folder. I immediately thought he'd gotten in trouble for the first time and was thinking quickly about how I'd wade through that with him. I was picturing him being totally upset at himself and all sorts of images flashed through my head. Yet, as my mind was moving through that, I actually pulled out the note to find that it simply said he was out of dress code that day. He was wearing a gray sweater and not a black or red one. Normally he wears black but occasionally I've let him wear this other sweater to mix things up a bit. I didn't know it wasn't allowed (I had obviously forgotten the exact color of sweaters allowed) and it wasn't brought to my attention until today. To me, it wasn't a big deal. I thought, "Great. Now I know. He won't wear it next time."

But to him, oh to him, when I mentioned he couldn't wear that sweater, the tears started to roll. "Why Mom?! Why? Am I in trouble?" His little brow was furrowed and his lip quivered as he spoke. He took the news so hard and didn't understand why that little yellow note said he wasn't allowed to wear his precious sweater. I wracked my brain trying to come up with a response and then, BINGO, I remembered that he is his father's child and needed a logical, simple answer to satisfy him and bring him out of his pit of despair. If I could show him it made sense, he'd accept it without question.

So I casually said with a grin, "Because Isaac, it's not your school colors. Your school colors are red and black (a certain type of plaid too but don't tell him that because it'd make things too complicated!) and your sweater is gray. That's why you can't wear it anymore." And it was as if the scales fell off his eyes and he could see. Immediately his tears dried up and a smile rebounded onto his face.

"Oh... of course Mama. Of course. Yes, I can't wear that sweater anymore. Only to church Mama."

And that my friends, is how a creative writer-type responds to the logical, "mathy" type...I guess I have learned something these past eight years being married to my nerdy of a husband. I usually have so many words (anyone surprised?) and tons of explanations. But to them, it just needs to be simple and make sense. Whenever I can pull this off, I usually am quite please with myself. Why? Because, it doesn't happen often.

However, I must say, I do think being married to my hubby has helped me to see the world in a totally different way and even though I don't always get it, I like it.

And even though I don't always get them, I must say, I do love them and all of their little logical ways....tons.

Nothing Finer...

Than a 49er! Isaac got to attend his first professional football game yesterday and of course he LOVED it!

We share season tickets with a few people in our extended families and so for the last few seasons we've had access to attending a couple of home games. Isaac has just gotten into sports a little bit more this summer with the World Cup and baseball season. He can often tell you the score of the last Giants' game and is very concerned when they're not winning. Aaahhh...it starts young. Anyhow, going to the game was our birthday gift to him. I worried a bit that he wouldn't think we got him anything this year since he couldn't "open" our present. But he understood what was going on and counted down the days until the game. As you can see, he definitely enjoyed himself quite a bit.

Steve's parents had the other two tickets for this game so Isaac got to go with his Daddy and grandparents. What a fun night out!!

Sometime in January Steve will take Caleb. But in honor of Dad and big brother going, Caleb had to get dressed up too. He didn't feel too left out though because he got Mommy all to himself while the littles slept and we ate popcorn. Not bad.

And I'm happy to say that the 49ers won! Take that Bret Favre!! Ha ha ha! But needless to say, we were relieved that Isaac's first experience at a game was a good one. I'm sure he'll remember it for years to come.

And just as a sidenote: yes, I like football. Yes, I watch football. And yes, I watched the game online, on the laptop, in the kitchen, during dinner!! Not normally the way I roll but...there can be exceptions every once in awhile, especially since I've got to know what happened in the game to be able to "analyze" it with the husband when he gets home! It's for my marriage people!

Here's to a great season!! Go 49ers!