Late Night Party!

Normally the boys are in bed by 8:30 ...

but tonight we had turned the iPod on at 8:15.

8:30 ...

We were about to turn off the music,

but DC Talk came on!

Eli recently found his old DC Talk "Free At Last" CD

And we downloaded the songs to our iPods.

Jonah and Reuben both LOVE the upbeat songs.

They're two swingin', jumpin', guitar wieldin' music maniacs!

So, rather than in bed on time,

We were all in our pajamas,

Jumping around the kitchen and rocking it out,

Old school style!

Sometimes, the simple things just make the day end on a perfect note.

Father's Day

Eli is, in every sense of the word, a companion to me.

We walk through each day,

each month, each year, TOGETHER.

I love being his wife - being his counterpart.

When Jonah was born three years ago, a new chapter in our relationship bloomed.

I saw Eli act and react with amazing tenderness and love to Jonah,

and now Reuben.

When I fell in love with Eli and we began walking the path towards marriage,

I knew that he would be a wonderful father.

But he is an even more wonderful father than I imagined!

His love for the boys is evident in how he interacts with them,

works to understand them,

disciplines them,

makes time for them amidst his challenging schedule.

It is a joy for me to watch him be their father.

Through all the challenges of beginning to raise children,

we walk through it together.

With laughter and tears!

on Father's Day ... my two 'pirates' continue on their

construction of the ultimate pirate hideout, boat, etc.

with beloved Legos ...

"You Can't Always Get What You Want"

Last week we spent a cooler evening out on the back deck.

Maybe I should explain that both Reuben and Jonah

have a love of tennis rackets.

We have used them for the last three years of our boys' lives as guitars.

We turn on the music and rock away!

So, tennis rackets (and badminton rackets as well) are valued items.

Especially the orange tennis racket kept with the outdoor toys on the back deck.

We were playing out on the deck.

Jonah, inevitably, found the tennis racket first and was playing with it.

As soon as Reuben noticed that someone ELSE had the tennis racket, he wanted it.

He would not be consoled with the alternative rackets offered.

He wanted the 'ORANGE ONE'.

But he was going to have to wait his turn.

And he didn't want to wait.

So, he threw a fit. Which, we, as fabulous parents, took pictures of.

Because even when throwing a fit, he is so darn cute!

Life just isn't fair!

Be the Mommy!

Our back deck is a wonderful place to play - with shoes on.

I try and always make sure the boys either have

socks or shoes on before heading out the back door.

But that doesn't always happen.

Last weekend Eli pointed out to me that Jonah had a

nice little splinter in the heel of his foot.

Enter Mommy.

Me: Jonah, you have a splinter in your foot. We need to get it.

J: NO!!!!!!

Me: We have to. It we don't, your foot is going to hurt even more.

Come sit on the couch and we'll get in out with Mommy's tweezers.

J: Will it hurt?

Me: Just a little. We can pretend that Mommy is the doctor,

and you are the patient, okay?

J: Okay, but will it hurt?

Me: It might hurt a little, but not too much.

Eli hands the tweezers over - Jonah settles in the pillows and I get down to work.

No problem as I push the skin around - getting at that nasty piece of wood.

Jonah sits quietly, trying to twist his head to watch.

And then ... I get a hold of the splinter and give a tug.

J: OWWWWW!!!!!!!

Me: It's okay! It's okay! I almost got it. One more pull and it will come out.

J: (crying and shrieking) it hurts, it hurts!

Me: We're almost done, let me finish honey.

J: I don't want you to be the doctor, I WANT YOU TO BE THE MOMMY!

Because, apparently, THE MOMMY shouldn't ever cause pain to her own son.

Sigh.

But one more tug and it was out - trauma and all.

Don't Mess with Spiderman!

Jonah is just like most other boys ... he loves superheros. This has been, in part, fueled by his older cousin, Ben, who has taught Jonah the ultimate value of dressing up in a superhero costume to "save the people". Until this week, though, Jonah has not had his own costume to wear. A family who has been extremely generous in passing down clothes to us gave me another bag-full last weekend. I put things away on Tuesday, and Jonah discovered the Spiderman costume lurking within ... need I say more?

MOMMY, I CAN TAKE ON THE BAD GUYS ...

I WILL SHOOT MY WEB AT THEM ...

THEY WILL RUN AND HIDE ...

AND I WILL BE THE BESTEST SUPERHERO EVER!

AND THEN, YOU WILL THANK ME FOR SAVING YOU.