Parable of the Hidden Diaper

You have heard it said "a little leaven, leaveneth the whole lump" but I say unto you, "one little disposable diaper in the laundry will beadeth the whole load...and not just that load, but to the second and third generation (or in this case, load) as well."

We've all experienced the occasional missed item that accidentally finds it's way into the washing machine....be it a hidden tissue, a crayon, a pen, a giant strip of fiber glass, or whatever. The result is usually not pleasant. Today what was supposed to be a quick load of laundry, turned into a mess of massive magnitude. It seems a stray diaper's liquid absorbent beads and shredded paper spread in every crease of every clothing item, covering every crevice of the washing machine holes (yes...you know the little ones all along the inner sides that look like little innocent miniscule dots) and then covered the floor of the laundry room as the garments were gently (or perhaps a tad violently) shaken out.

This little accident reminded me of another little incident that recently occurred in our house. The kids saw a cute little video of a Gummy Bear dancing around singing about his delicious gummy self. Innocent enough, right? WRONG! For perhaps 1.5 seconds this gummy bear shakes his little gummy bottom, which of course merits a fit of laughter from my kids. How could 1.5 seconds of fanny-wagging hurt, you ask? Well, being that it brought such hysterics from the bear, imagine a little two year old boy wagging his tail at you. Hilarious!!! Yes, but then this spreads to the adorable four year old who resides here, who takes it a step further by raising her skirt. I won't even tell you where that led a certain six year old, whom by now you know loves to push the limits. Before you know it, my house is daily filled with derriere shaking and potty comments to go with it. NOT acceptable!

So I'm here to remind you....Beware the leaven or diaper or gummy bear that sneaks in unaware. It may go undetected at first, but the repercussions will ripple their way through everything!!!

Oh My Wood!

Each stage of child development is fascinating to me. It intrigues me to witness a little person go from only saying "mama" to a full fledged sentence. It amazes me how a toddler can switch from whining to alert you of his needs, to putting the thought into words and expressing it with precision.

As most of you know, Eben was a late talker. By the age of two, he was only using a handful of words. Looking back, I can see many reasons for this...he has mind readers for sisters who never let him go long without already knowing and providing what he was lacking, he couldn't get a word in edgewise because well, he has three older sisters, and I'm convinced that he knew the words..could say the words...and in his stubborn will, decided not to.

Now, he's a yapper! He'll tell you exactly what he wants. He'll ask you a million and one questions to figure something out. He'll even use his newly discovered super powers of manners with a smile to convince you to do his bidding. It's delightful. The whole family is thrilled and constantly sharing the adorable things he says.

But with anything learned, he's watched and listened to each of us and adopted our words, habits, and manners as his own. I'd like to tell you that because we are always on our best behavior his little mouth is pristine. I'd like to tell you he is quoting scripture and saying things like "Mommy, I adore you. Let me do that for you." However, we do live in a real world and we, believe it or not, are not always perfect.

My latest cringe is when I heard him shouting upstairs at the top of his lungs, "Get out of my Woom!" then followed it up with a smiling "pweese!" Adorable, yes, but oh so rude! Perhaps I should focus my attention on the fact that he does use his polite words.

Some of our favorites are his raw excitement, when something delights him, he claps with a "yeah-hoo!" or gasps in amazement, "Oh My Wood!!" One of our favorites is "Come on, guys! Let's go....see, me happy!" convinced that if he is happy and smiling the world will follow willingly. Oh, and the newest taunt after anything mischievous that he does, which is one of his favorite past times, is "Nanny, nanny, poo, poo!" followed with his adorable laugh, then covering his grinning mouth acting shocked saying, "Oops! Me say bad words!"

All of this rambling is to say this...monkey see, monkey do! The words that I say, the attitude I reflect, the manner in which I conduct myself is constantly and without fail mirrored back to me. It is no wonder that we are commanded to speak His words and meditate on His sayings, posting them on our walls, even carrying them around our necks...just as my kids soak up my words, I soak up those I hear and am surrounded by. May I remember as I walk through this day, that I am the light they are witnessing. His words are my words and thus their words.

Little brother is great at reminding me, especially when he pulls this cuteness..."Come on, mom! Talk to me! Me like Mommy!" What an honor!!!

Twisted, Tangled, and Knotted Together

I am a person who longs to be organized. I want to have a routine. I want to have a method to each madness that comes with daily life. I want to know exactly where I put down my keys and see exactly six pairs of shoes neatly lined by the door (instead of the spilling over basket of hundreds). The key word in all of these things is "want." Although I have tried every which way and back to bring sanity to chaos, I finally admit it ain't happening!!

The other day in our backyard the kids and I became fascinated with this tree. There were literally hundreds of birds popping out of every nook and cranny. Somehow all of these branches, twigs, and vines (or whatever you want to call them) had interwoven in the most bizarre assortment of chaos. You couldn't follow one branch for very long before it was twisted and knotted and lost in the masses. Yet, the beautiful thing was that somehow each and every one of those individual pieces were working together to form one big mighty shape of a tree.

Although I haven't backed up enough to see the complete outlying shape of my chaos, I'm pretty sure it's working it's way into looking like a family. The calendar may have us running a million different directions. The laundry and dishes may be overflowing or only partly done. The kids might have picked out totally mismatched outfits and not even had their hair brushed. BUT each morning I wake up to kisses and cuddles. Each day when the fights are dispersed, I hear laughter and conversation. Every night I hear prayers of thanksgiving and innocent nuggets of wisdom. And I stand in awe that God has seen fit to help little unorganized me weave all these strands into something indescribably blessed.

Swift Kick

We were swimming in the pool the other day, and little Thessaly swims over to me looking all adorable. She opens those big eyes of hers, smiles ear to ear, and then kicks me. "Ow! What was that for?" I ask her. As she swims away giggling in delight, she explains to me, "That is the way I show someone I love them when I'm in the pool."
Interesting!!! How often is it that we need to show our affections to our loved ones with a swift kick? I'm not talking about physical violence, of course. But if we truly love someone, we'd be willing to risk their wrath by giving them the nudge or kick (if you will) they need. I know I'm not an easy one to reprimand. I wear my feelings right out there on my sleeve and sadly get my feelings hurt time and again. However, I would be mortified if my loved ones knew I was in the wrong and didn't point it out. This is not an invitation to have a kicking fest on Vivi today;-) but maybe next time someone swims over and gives me a loving kick, I should thank them and swim on my merry way knowing they truly love me.

Ideal Neighborhood

Can we say we love it here without betraying all our old home states and families and friends? We miss everyone terribly, and if we could we'd pick them all up and transport them with us. We could create this perfect neighborhood of all those we've had to leave behind. Have them living right next door. Walk out the door in the morning and wave at them across the street. Take long walks together, sit talking for countless hours, or just enjoy the close proximity.

If I've learned anything from all of these moves, it's to seize the day (and be flexible and never begin potty training before a move...but I sidetrack). Make friends with those around you for you don't know how long you'll have them there and when the separation comes you'll only wish you had done it more. Enjoy the scenery and environments because seasons change quickly. Make your family your home, all else changes.

I'm thrilled with the idea that this paradise neighborhood is actually a reality. It's in the works as we live and breath. In a blink of an eye, this will all be passed and we're all going to be living right there, in the perfect place...together. We'll truly be able to spend countless hours together, never separating again. I have to warn you now though, I'm going to know an awful lot of you up there because everywhere I've lived I've met the best souls!
Miss you all but promise we'll see you soon!!!

It's Your Fault!

As Adela sat on the floor wedged between the wall and the side of the bed, she slowly woke from her middle-of-the-night daze to realize she had fallen off of the bed. I must admit, that as her parent, I was not surprised at all that she had rolled off; in fact, I had predicted, warned, and even tried to prevent the occurrence. But she believed that she knew best. She argued that she was mature enough and experienced enough to judge how close to the edge she could will herself. What did surprise me is her response upon realizing that she had fallen. “Mom, it's your fault! You made me fall off of the bed!” Contrary to her belief, I did not push her off the edge…she did that all on her own.

I wonder how often, in my naïve self-confident state, I shirk the blame for things that go wrong. Knowing full well that He warned me, that He tried to prevent it from happening, that He even put barriers up to help me avoid the obvious outcome, yet I thought I was mature enough and experienced enough to judge how close to the edge I could will myself. I pray I heed His warnings next time.

My fear is that Adela will once again refuse a side pillow, and unfortunately have to learn the hard way. She might even continue to make it several times before truly learning for herself in a way that might have lingering effects (broken bones are not uncommon around that girl;-).

May it only take us one fall, if none at all, to trust that He truly does know what is best!

Family Ties

When the Lord decided to send us to Jersey, I could not IMAGINE what He was thinking. We were not a northern family. We were not Big City people. What could possibly be the reason???
As always, He knew better than little ole' me. What wonderful plans He had for us. Little did I know, that I had family in New Jersey! He introduced us to our grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, and even sisters and brothers. Here they were, just waiting for us...waiting to love us, and be loved. You know how after a new physical activity, you suddenly realize you have muscles you didn't even know existed...well, that's how my heart feels after being here for two years. Man, I love these people!!!
Now, here we are again. We're trying not to visualize this move as a leaving of our precious family, but a "come and visit soon" kind of thing. It's a bittersweet thing when you leave family, but the great thing is...you know you ARE family...you know you WILL see each other again...you know that love will only grow stronger through distance...you know that come what may, God has a plan and it truly is beautiful.
So, if you haven't heard our news...we are moving to Abilene, TX at the end of June. We look at this as another adventure in the lives of the Weaver family. We trust that the Lord has a purpose for us. We trust that He knows what lies ahead. We'll desperately miss Jersey, but are looking forward to meeting the family we don't even know yet.
Texas' family, Ready or not, here we come!