This weekend, Shea spent the night at her cousins' house in Alabama. (Jon and I stayed at my grandparents.) She had a fabulous time with Emma and Bess and didn't miss us one bit! When we got back to Memphis, Shea refused to get out of the car. I thought she'd be happy to be home after 3.5 hours in the car. As she buckled herself back into her carseat, she screamed, "Want Bess! Don't want home! Want Bess! Want Emma!" After a few minutes of letting her throw her fit, I had to pry her out of the car and carry her in the house. I've never seen someone so disappointed to be home!




Now I'm going to quote a story that my sister-in-law told me about the girls:
Sunday night Emma said "I miss Shea", Bess said "me too". Emma did a long contemplative pause and then said "Shea's a little rough, *giggle*", Bess said "yeah". Michael and I fell on the floor. They are all so adorable.

Grandpapa's Birthday

This past weekend, we went to Huntsville, Alabama to celebrate my Grandpapa's 75th birthday. I wanted to share a few things about my Grandpapa. Interesting fact #1 is that Grandpapa's birthday is July 26th, and his twin brother's birthday is July 27th! Ever met twins with different birthdays? My Grandpapa is a mechanical engineer and worked out at Redstone Arsenal for many years. He is absolutely brilliant! In fact, Grandpapa built the tractor that he used to dig the basement under my grandparents old house. He was always working on something in his shop, and he still does what he can. For many years now, Grandpapa has had Parkinson's Disease, among some other health problems. He thus can't do many of the things he used to enjoy.

When I was in high school, I visited Grandpapa at the arsenal. Parkinson's had started taking it's toll, but he was still able to work. He explained to me a little bit of what he was working on, and he took me on a mini-tour showing me where they tested this and that. I'm not mechanically inclinded, so I didn't understand much of what he was saying, but I enjoyed listening to him. He clearly enjoyed showing me around and chatting to me about his job.

I still love to visit Grandpapa and Grandmama. They normally cook us a big breakfast with bacon, ham, eggs, grits, and biscuits. During breakfast, Grandpapa will holler something like, "Queenie, can you bring me some more bacon." While giving him the bacon, Grandmama will reply, "Jimmy, you don't need any more bacon," and she'll complain about what he eats. Grandpapa will cheerfully ignore her and go on eating whatever he wants. Afterward, we'll sit on the porch and watch the hummingbirds feed. Grandmama and I will giggle about Grandpapa's battle with the squirrels over the bird feeder. (He greases the post with Crisco so the squirrels can't climb up to eat the birdseed.) Then, more people will wake up or arrive, and chaos ensues. While their house is normally chaotic when all the family visits, there's still something about being around them that makes me feel calm and relaxed inside.

I'm a mess!

These days, when Shea is eating something messy, particularly spaghetti, she relishes getting it all over her, smiling real big, and saying, "Monny, I a mess! A mess!" (She calls me Monny instead of Mommy, and I love it!)

Well, I've certainly felt like I'm a mess recently. Since Nash was born, I haven't slept more than fours hours at one time, and four hours is rare. I normally get about two hours each stretch of sleep. I probably average 4 or 5 hours of actual sleep a night. Consequently, I'm really exhausted all the time, and I think I'm losing my mind. A month ago, I lost my fob for work, and I eventually had to go ask for a new one. My dad stumbled upon my original fob in my front yard, so at least it turned up eventually. Then, about a week and a half ago, I lost my keys. They have yet to turn up. I'm not sure whether I've misplaced them or Shea's done something with them. Jon just walks around the explosion that is our house saying under his breath, "How do you lose your keys," and, "Those car keys are like $200 to replace, argh!" Next in the line of lost items is fob #2. I can't find it anywhere. I dread asking for another one.

I've just really lost my mind lately. Of course, my fob and my keys could remain buried somewhere in my disaster of a house for years and never be found. I have become a really forgetful slob, or as Shea would say, "I'm a mess!"

FYI: A fob (aka "Key fob" or "security fob") is a security device that allows me to get into and out of my office. I don't carry it on my keys, but many people do.

Is it really that simple?

Once upon a time, I thought that the Christian life was pretty simple. I thought that after some years as a Christian, I'd have this thing figured out, and it would be smooth sailing from there. I don't think that anymore. While on the one hand, the Christian life is simple in that I am to live to bring honor and glory to God. On the other hand, what that actually looks like in my life can be quite complicated. It means that I have to look not only at my actions, which is a task in and of itself, but also to my motivations. I can sometimes get overwhelmed with how much I still have to change to be like Christ. The complexity of doctrine and what it looks like lived out in my life can also overwhelm me. I have some choices when I begin to feel overwhelmed. I can throw my hands up in the air and conclude that I can never attain what I'm striving for and give up. Alternatively, I can realize that I can never attain what I'm striving for and rest in the fact that Jesus has attained it for me. I can strive for holiness, but allow myself to experience God's grace in my failures. I can learn one lesson at a time as I become more like Christ. In reality, I cannot do anything, but God can work in and through me. I'm still learning what that looks like in my own life.

Been a While

I promise that I will complete my thoughts on discipline sometime in the near future. Life's been a little busy lately, so I haven't had time to blog. I wanted my very few readers to have something to read to entertain them until I can get back in the saddle, so I'm stealing an old blog of my brother to post for your entertainment. It gives you a little insight into my family.

Shocks

Man, I tell you what. I shock myself all the time in my office. And it's because of this static generator known as a "couch" that I often sit on in there. Whenever I get up, I can feel the charge. Sometimes I forget about it, though. I know one time I got up and touched the mouse on my computer, and boy o' boy! That one could've killed me. It's the worst when someone knocks on the door, because I just know I am screwed. I have just suck it up and open the door handle. BZZT!

Shocking wasn't always such a fun-free endeavor. When I was a senior in high school, there was this metal ball in physics class that would shock the willy nilly out of ya when you touched it. Man, it hurt. But it turns out it could be made into a pretty good weapon. Once you touch it and take your shock, you yourself can shock those who walk by by merely touching your finger to them. The only problem is that there was only an outlet at the back of the room. So, being the leader of men that I am, I had the whole class make a big hand-in-hand chain that could reach from the metal ball to the hallway. Kind of like a love-train where everyone is holding hands in a chain as a plea for peace, except we were holding hands so we could hurt people. So the bell would ring, tons of people would walk by, and I would shock them all. Man that was great. I even shocked my own freshman brother. People would try to dodge me, but they couldn't. The hall was too small. I felt like Earnest P Worrell must have felt like in Earnest Goes To Jail, where he gets the electric chair but instead of dying, he has the power to shoot electricity. It hurt just as bad for me as it did for them, but seeing people's faces really made up for it. And may Earnest rest in peace. Amen.

To Spank or Not to Spank? Part 1

Discipline strategy is a hot topic among parents of young children. Amazingly, after searching Scripture, praying, conversing, and seeking wise counsel, many of us have come up with completely differing views on the subject. My friend, Heather, brought the subject up on her blog, and I'm going to take a few posts to explain my views on the issue. I think this would be an incredibly long post were I to flesh it all out in one setting, so this is just the first installment of many.

My opinion on the matter has been shaped by my experiences as a child, by my experiences as a parent, by wise counsel, and more importantly, by Scripture and prayer. Therefore, I want to first offer some Scriptures relating to discipline without any commentary. Later, I'll share how these Scriptures have shaped my ideas relating to discipline.

Hebrews 12:1-13
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons:
"My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son."
Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. "Make level paths for your feet," so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.

Revelation 3:19
[To the church in Laodicea,] [t]hose whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.

1 Corinthians 11: 27-32
Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.

Proverbs 19:18
Discipline your son, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to his death.

Proverbs 23:13-14
Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish him with the rod, he will not die. Punish him with the rod and save his soul from death.

Proverbs 13:24
He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.

Job 5:17-18
Blessed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. For he wounds, but he also binds up; he injures, but his hands also heal.

Proverbs 22:6
Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.

Exodus 19:12
Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.

Ephesians 6:1-4
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. "Honor your father and mother"—which is the first commandment with a promise— "that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth." Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

Dressing Alike

In California, it's normal for a guy to wear a Hawaiian shirt. In Tennessee, it's not so normal. My husband, a native Californian, has a few Hawaiian shirts, but he never wears them anymore now that he's in Tennessee. Well, Sunday morning, he decided to wear one. His parents had just been to Hawaii and had sent some very nice "Hawaiian" outfits for the kids. I thought it would be great to dress the kids in those outfits the same day that Jon wore his Hawaiian shirt. I dressed Nash, and he looked so cute. I went to show him off to Jon. Jon, however, was not very happy with me. He apparently didn't like matching with his kids. What I thought was very cute was very uncool to him. After some pleading, I convinced him not to change clothes. He said that people would make fun of him because he matched his kids. I told him that he could blame it all on me, and he said not to worry that he would. We made it to church and there were plenty of comments about the kids matching, but I didn't hear any about Jon matching the kids. It was alright.

Independence Day

We had a great Fourth of July. My parents, nieces, and sister-in-law came over in the morning to join us in our neighborhood's Fourth of July Parade. It's nothing fancy, but the kids love it. The older kids decorate their bikes and ride them in the parade, and smaller kids are pushed in strollers or pulled in wagons. A fire truck leads the parade, and the firemen hose down the kids at the end of the parade route. Shea and her cousins loved it. After the parade, we ate lunch at the neighborhood potluck lunch, then headed over to my parents house. My dad grilled some awesome ribs for us for dinner. We left just in time to catch most of the Germantown fireworks before calling it a day. I'm really glad that we had the rest of the weekend to recover from our celebrating! Here's some more parade pictures.

Heading to the parade:





Our patriotic girls:



Now for the fun part:

Small Group Rock Band

Last night, we met at our house for small group. We're sad that so many people and their kids were sick this week and had to miss, but we had a really great sharing time anyway. Joanna, Clay, and Emily were able to join us with their kids Ella and Evy. We really wouldn't have had much of a group left if we sent someone to watch the kids in the other room, so we tried to have group time in the same room as the kiddos. We put Peter Pan on the tv to entertain them. I don't think we'll choose Peter Pan again because it really entertained Clay as well. :)

After we finished our discussion questions, it was time for ROCK BAND! We made the kids clean up their toys so that we could pull out our toys. It was a little insane, but awesome at the same time. For song #1, we had Jon and Joanna on the guitars and Emily doing the vocals for Bon Jovi's Wanted: Dead or Alive. Shea and Ella thought they were playing the drums. Clay then performed a fabulous rendition of Creep. We played a couple more songs, and before we knew it, Joey, who was home with sick Seth, called worried about Joanna because it was so late. Oops! We decided 10pm was late enough for the kids to be up and out, so we called it a night. I'll post some pics, but you can also see some videos at these links: video 1, video 2, video 3, video 4

The Gospel

My original post somehow vanished. I'm just posting the video now. Sorry there's no more commentary on it.

I'm not Goofy

Recently, Shea was being silly, and Jon asked her, "Are you goofy?" She giggled and replied, "Noooo, I not Goofy, I Mickey Mouse."