Happy Birthday and other thoughts

Happy Birthday Weston.
I missed being at your entrance.
I have missed every birthday since.
But I love you and think about you on your special day even if I can't be there.

Oh by the way thanks for sharing your day with Elli.
She is 5 now. She had a birthday she says. Weston's.

5 is now her lucky number.



Now on to "what is in a name".

So I was holding it together at the commissioning service for my Sister and her family, who are leaving in a few weeks for Ecuador, just fine until a name broke down my walls of emotional restraint.

I have pretty tough walls too.

So when Dustan's Dad was laying hands on the family and talking to God he called his son "Dusty".
I have heard him called this before but the way it was said, who it was said to, and the context it was said in, that tore me up.

Who knew "Dusty" was the weak link in my wall.

So what I heard was a Daddy praying and giving his little boy into the hands of God.
Dustan was not a man in his father's eyes at that moment...
he was young...
about Weston's age...
or perhaps little Samuel in the Bible.


I guess you can say it was the picture of the immense love of a father for his child that moved me so.


So "Dusty" if you read this in a way it was you, not Becka, that broke me down to crying in public.

I am pretty sure that what I saw and heard was the way it was seen from heaven.

Storytime

It is bedtime. We are snuggled in bed together and Karist informs me she is going to tell me a bedtime story. Here is her story:

Baby Jesus was born.
Baby Jesus died.

That is it. I laughed and corrected her and told her that Jesus grew up before he died. And the conversation wandered all over after that.


Next day.
She tells the kids she is going to tell them a story.
Here it is word for word:

Baby Jesus was born.
He grewed up.
Jesus died. He died.


At least she was paying attention the night before.

Free

So we had a morning free of T.V. and Internet and this is some of what we did:


We made really free Christmas lights.
The paper was a discard from Becka's and they use no power.
It was good practice for all 4 kids using scissors... they cut them all.




Cookies. Not free but almost except the sticks.



We were so busy crafting, cleaning, cooking and learning that we were mostly free of complaining and fighting.

Trick of Treat

A night elf
A pirate
A snow fairy
And a Barbie musketeer






Too bad I never figured out the trick to taking good pictures.

Oh wait Jesse took these.
I pass the blame :)

Little Miss Know it All

A conversation with Karist last night:

Me: How did you get so beautiful?

Silence
Karist: grins big

Me: God made you so beautiful.

Karist: Uh huh. (said with a tone that says I am not telling her anything new)

Me: And he made you smart

Karist: Uh huh

Me: And kind

Karist: Uh huh

Me: And helpful (can you tell I am buying that self fulfilling prophecy bit)

Karist: Uh huh

Me: *gives her another big hug*

Karist: And Proud


I died laughing.

So yes I have a proud little girl, and she is proud of being proud.

Karist and Water Play

Still checking to see if I posted?

Well I am still alive.

Not sure that I really did that much while I was gone.
Or it was so boring and routine I blocked it from memory.

Here is my short term memory kicking in...
What I did today:

Cleaned a place in the garage for my new freezer that arrives on Monday.
Note that I cleaned a place not the garage. I would still be trapped in there working if that was the case.

Fed people.

Got the kids ready for soccer pictures.

Coupon research.

Tried to get ready to teach my new 4 year old Sunday School class tomorrow.

Glad they are young and will forgive me if I mess it up.

So that is a quick update seconds before my laptop battery dies.