Boy Talk: Theology Lesson with Michael

After singing a new song while tucking him at nap time:

M: What was that song called?
Ash: "This Day God Gives Me"
M: Gives me what?
Ash: Well, God gives us everything we need, every day.
M: very emphatic and very concerned But, Mama! God doesn't have chicken nuggets!

I don't think he was entirely convinced when I explained that God provides what we need to make/buy chicken nuggets...

love the milk mustache, Mr. Michael

{p,h,f,r} A Taste of Contentment on the Threshold of Autumn

The other day I was... something. I don't remember exactly--frustrated, anxious, upset, disappointed, just plain tired. Probably all of the above. And I thought to myself, "I need more contentment in my life."

Almost as soon as that thought entered my mind I realized it was kind of ridiculous. I don't need more contentment, I just need to pay attention to what I already have. And you know what? It's working! When I start to feel frustrated and disappointed that my back and our budget and the sheer business of three such little boys kept us from accomplishing much (compared to our totally unrealistic dreams) in the yard this summer, I stop and focus on the things I love about our yard. There's a lot to love out there!

Same with the state of my house. When all I'm seeing is the dust and the pretzel crumbs and the toys everywhere, I focus on being thankful that we have so much space in which to gather dust and crumbs and ohsomany toys (and then I try to find a minute to grab the vacuum and make a mental note to get rid of some of those toys). 

Baby steps. I'm not very good at baby steps, but goodness knows I don't have the mental or emotional capacity for a complete attitude overhaul all at once (who can even do that, anyway?).

So to help I decided to (finally) link up with Like Mother, Like Daughter for {pretty, happy, funny, real}. Capturing contentment, right here at Crane Corner. Okay, less alliteration, more pictures.

{pretty}

So, that yard that hasn't been transformed into the perfectly manicured little retreat yet? Well, it still had a few very happy surprises for me as the summer winds down. I scattered many packets of wildflower seeds around the grotto in the spring, and some of them are finally blooming.

{happy}

I am so happy that it is (almost) fall. I love fall. But for some reason this season, more than any other, brings on an intense nostalgia. And it's usually an "I wish I were..." nostalgia, and not a "wasn't that nice" nostalgia, if that makes any sense. As much as I love fall, it can bring an added challenge to contentment. Oh hooray, another chance to grow in holiness (only sort of sarcastic).

{funny}

"Mama, look, I'm a robot!"

{real}

There has been a lot of this going on at our house lately (that would be Thomas on the laptop screen there). Usually it's Little Pim or Magic School Bus (60% of our preschool "curriculum" for the year, only sort of joking). Sometimes it's Thomas or Mighty Machines (and then oh! the excitement!).

Last week I got a very unexpected but very welcome and exciting writing project. It also ended up being much more challenging than I expected, and hugely time-consuming. Thus the extra screen time. And there will be more tomorrow, because I'm behind on the second part of the project.

Notes from the trenches: Spanish lessons, alligator games, and Bible stories with Michael

I've been meaning to blog forever... so much has been going on and I just couldn't manage to get around to it.

And then today I decided to totally redo the design. I wasn't pleased with the last version. I think this is my particular manifestation of the infamous Rappana rearranging gene. We'll see how long I keep this one...

Just a few brief stories, and then I really need to clean the kitchen. And I really need to get to bed before 11:30 tonight!

John Paul is enjoying the unadulterated adoration of his big brothers. Michael insists that we all call him "John PAOW," and Liam's pronunciation sounds mostly like "Pablo" these days. So Alex and I have generally taken to calling him Pablo.

I told Michael that JP's name in Spanish would be "Juan Pablo," and now he's very interested in everyone's Spanish names. He can also count to nine in Spanish, but he always skips siete, for some reason. Thank you, Little Pim.

Liam's current favorite game is talking about the alligators in the dining room (thank you Grandpa and Grandma for sparking his interest and telling us what alligators sound like). It goes something like this:
Liam (in a worried voice): Dators?
Ash: Are there alligators
Liam (still worried): Yeah
Ash: What do the alligators say?
Liam: RAWR
Ash: Oh dear!
Pablo: (laughs hysterically)
Liam (worried again): Yowd
Ash: Are they loud?
Liam: Yeah
repeat, multiple times per day

I love telling Michael Bible stories, and I love the questions and commentary he provides. Yesterday we were reading a children's book about the Last Supper, and it included the story of Peter walking on the water (because Jesus was sad and the Apostles were trying to cheer him up with stories about their time together). I was really trying to get Michael involved, so after I told him that Jesus could walk on water because he is God, I asked M if he could walk on water. "No!" he said, "I would sink and a shark would eat me! Or an alligator."

We are all about the aquatic predators in this house, apparently.

Okay, dishes are calling. Goodnight!