Status Updates

I thought it would be fun, for myself, to look back through my facebook status updates to see the funny little things my kids, particularly the younger two, have said over the last couple years. Brent’s grandmother has always told me I needed a little book to write down all the funny things. I never listened to her, but now I have a little record through FB. I decided I am putting it in my blog because it takes a long time to got back through status updates for the last 2 1/2 years.

I just picked David up from his first day of kindergarten. He said, "It was awesome! But I missed you mom!" That's the best evaluation I could have gotten!

When I was pregnant with Sarah, I wanted to name her Katie after Katie Casselberry and Katie Rumph (sorry to those of you who do not know these amazing young women!) because I wanted a daughter just like them. Today, I must say, she is not meeting those expectations!!!

The conversation in the other room: Brent, "You have to wear a shirt, Sarah." Sarah, "Dad, they're boxers." Brent, "You still have to wear a shirt. You don't see mom running around without a shirt on." Sarah, "But Dad, they're boxers." My poor daughter, growing up in a home with only brothers!

David told me tonight, "I want to go back to the old days." He's 6!!!

I think the internet and text messaging has ruined spelling for the current generation. As a mother, it's making me crazy!!!

Tonight David asked if we can see Jesus. I told him that when he was on earth, people saw him, but that was a long, long time before he (David) was born. He asked, "Did Grandma Mabel see him?" Grandma Mabel is 90. It's funny what a long, long time ago is to a six year old.

Sarah just came in and asked me to smell the stamp on her hand. I guess it is supposed to smell like candy canes. I told her it smelled like a dirty hand. She said, "You're not nice. You called me a trash can!!"

Brent and I went on a nice date tonight. This is what Sarah said when we got home, "I can't believe you went on a date without me, mom." James said, "That's the point!!!" I can tell who's growing up!!!

Sarah, standing in my closet looking at a dress I wore to Becky Casselberry's wedding, "Mom, when will you wear this dress again? Are you going to wear it to my wedding?" Me, "No, probably not (with a little snicker)." Sarah, "You're not going to come to my wedding?” Only she was almost in tears!

Apparently growing up with all boys is taking it's toll on Sarah. Just now she asked me, "When I get married, what will you name me?" I was trying to explain that her first name won't change but her last name will. I told her Colaw will change to the same last name as the boy. She responded, "Not a boy, no, not a boy. I don't want to marry a boy." Oh my!!! We have some teaching to do!!!

James cleaned the kitchen so nicely!!! Too bad he threw away our thawing dinner . . . even when I try to cook, something happens!

Tonight I was teasing my boys about growing mustaches when they grow up and Sarah said she wanted to grow one. I heard David tell her girls can't have mustaches. She immediately asked if this was true. When I told her yes, she began to cry!! OH MY!!!

Conversation with Sarah after coming home from Wendy's, which she requested: (Very Cranky Voice) Mom, why'd they give me fries? Me: Kid's meals come with fries. Sarah (still very cranky): I didn't want fries. Me: Okay, don't eat them. Sarah (normal voice): I want to eat them. I like the salt.” I am a girl, and I do not understand her!!!!

Sarah cracks me up!!! This morning I took her into her room to pick out clothes, which she helped me choose. A few minutes later she came into my room with a very cranky voice and said, "Mom, I look ridiculous! I look like David!!!" I have no idea why she said that. However, when I told her we could go choose something else, she refused. I can't imagine what things are going to be like when she is a teenager.

In effort to put things into perspective, God provided a situation that was much worse than the insurance thing. David did not come home from school today. His friend said he wasn't on the bus, but the school office said he wasn't there either. . .After a couple minutes of panic on our part, he walked into the school office. He missed his bus stop and was in deed on the bus, so the driver took him back to school.

If my son does not accept my friend request, I am deleting his whole facebook account!!!!

Just had to wake David up to get him OUT of the shower, and now he is telling me he is NOT tired and does NOT need to go to bed.

David just ran into my room saying, "This movie freaks me out!" He's watching Babe. Yes, the movie about the pig . . . not the best movie ever, but not one I would expect to freak him out either!!! Weird!

Made ribs for dinner tonight (a first, and they were pretty good)!!!! I was pulling the meat off the bone for Sarah. She asked, "Are those real bones?" Her response to my "yes" was, "Whose bones are they???"

Brent just corrected Sarah when she said, "Oh My God" by saying, "Sarah, we can't use 'God' as an explicative." I'm sure she totally gets it now!!!! Sometimes his father in him comes out big time. He says he used to have to go ask his mom to translate.

There are so many things wrong with this . . . keep in mind, David is terrible with names so he often has to describe people. David: "It's someone's birthday today." (Clearly, that's true, but I figured it must be someone he knows.) Me: "Whose?" David: "You know the one in my class who disobeys a lot . . . but sometimes he doesn't." (I guess he was giving him some grace? But also doesn't that describe almost everyone in his class???) Needless to say, I was no closer to figuring it out after that description.

Role playing in Sunday School about telling people about Jesus . . . David to Paul, "Do you know Jesus?" Paul, "No." David, "Jesus died on the cross for your sins and if you believe in Him, you can die on the cross also." Oooops!!! We all got a good laugh out of this one before he corrected himself!

I'm wondering what it says about me that anytime I am sweeping or vacuuming or any other type of cleaning, the kids ask, "Who's coming over tonight?"

Me: donde esta su padre? Sarah: if you speak Spanish, I'm going to say you don't have eyelashes. Me: WHAT????? Sarah: well, dora doesn't have any! I don't think that's the message the producers were trying to tell.

James is definitely taller than me now!!! I still have the psychological advantage, however!!! And he better not forget that!

I learned a couple things through doing this: 1) Sarah causes me to say “Oh, my!” a lot! 2) I need to post more about James and Jason, but Jason especially.

My Favorites . . .

First of all, I want to say that it occurred to me today that we have been in Bakersfield for three years now. It was three years ago today that we got the key to our house and unloaded our moving truck. WOW!!!

But on to my favorites . . . today I asked the kids in Sunday School what one of their favorite things was about their mothers. Mostly I got very vague answers, like, "She's awesome!" When I asked for specifics, they had a hard time. My kids said things like, "She cooks nice." or "She's fun." I hope they were just stumbling because it was so last minute and nothing else was on the tip of their tongue.

I decided that I wanted to write down some of my favorites about each of them, so here goes . . .

James: He is a good friend, and relationships are important to him. He is loyal. He is excellent at critiquing things, his dad's sermons being one of the things. A couple weeks ago, I asked, "How was church this morning?" I was in Children's Ministry. He said, "Dad did a great job. His sermon was good, very practical. His introduction grabbed my attention and his examples were easy to relate to." Occasionally, he says something like, "The introduction could have been a little better" or "Your conclusion wasn't the best." It's hilarious, but Brent loves it because it is honest. When he wants to be, he is very helpful. He can be the best big brother, again when he wants to. He is friendly and willing to take risks.

Jason: He is also a great friend!!! And he is a friend to those who have no friends!!! He's not afraid of what that might do to his reputation, and he will put up with a lot of annoyance from those who are not easy to befriend. There is one boy at school that comes to mind quickly. He is charming and most people love him, peers and adults. He is diligent, and he perseveres. He is not afraid to say no when he doesn't want to do something. He doesn't like to have his schedule over full.

David: He is so excited and happy about EVERYTHING!!!! Tonight we were watching The Blind Side, and he was cheering for the football games and clapping when the plays ended, as if we were watching something live. He is an encourager. His gymnastics coach has told me time and time again that when other kids are having trouble with something in class, it is David who encourages and pushes them to do their best. He's strong and has incredible endurance. He is a terrific older brother and loves his sister so much. He recently wrote a book and read it out loud at his writer's tea at school. He dedicated his book to his sister and gave her a big hug after he walked down from the stage. It was so cool!!!!

Sarah: She has a super laugh (only not when it is a fake laugh). She takes charge, which can be a problem, but it is fun to watch! She is hilarious and says the funniest things all the time. She is very loving to all of us and to her friends. I think she is also a very loyal friend. We will see if this continues, but so far it seems this way. Her strong opinions make me crazy sometimes, but I think it is great that she has them, too. With three brothers, she is somewhat of a tomboy, but she also likes to be girly. She loves to play dress up and wants to have tea parties all the time!!!

I'm sure there are 100 other things, but those are the things off the top of my head. I'm very blessed!!!

On My Heart

I need to post about so many things . . . Easter . . . a book . . . my kids . . . life in general. So here is some rambling about what God has been teaching me. I'm still working through all my thoughts, but here goes.

Just before Easter, our small group completed a study on becoming a good samaritan. I was dealing with the abortion issues from my previous post. We have some friends who are serving and loving some homeless people and I felt a tug to get involved on some level. I completed the book The Same Kind of Different As Me and now the sequel, What Difference Do It Make, and both touched me deeply. With all of this plus my job, I figure God must be trying to work on my heart in regards to being a servant to those in need, but what does that mean? To tell you the truth, because of my job (which might seem kind of backward), in many ways I lack compassion and mercy for the down and out. It is very conflicting. I said something in small group one night that caused someone to question my contradiction, which in turn caused me to think about it a lot. What does God want from me? What do I need to do to be obedient to Him?

I think it is hard to come to a good balance with these issues. There is such a fine line in trying to balance responsibility and compassion, similar to the balance of grace and truth. In my job, I work with former foster youth, young adults who turned 18 in the foster care system. Some might think that their 18th birthday means freedom, but in the words of one of my co-workers it's more like they "were thrown to the wolves." They do not know what to do next. THey don't have the support of their family as they learn independence, no one to call when they make mistakes and need direction. I have a giant heart for these young adults. I know their back story and can totally understand why they are responding and making the choices they are making. However, I also know the only way they can redirect their lives is to learn to make good choices. The best choice they can make is to follow Jesus, but some of them aren't ready to do that. I believe they can learn to make good choices in their day to day activities without following Jesus, so practically that is what I am trying to teach them. Sometime I just want to slap some sense into them. I am working through this balance of loving and showing mercy, yet trying to talk honestly to them about the irresponsible choices they are making.

We spent Easter lunch with our friends, Seth and Callie, at this small grassy area in Bakersfield where we fed lunch to about 10 homeless people. We took tri-tip, beans, potato salad, cookies and drinks. Most of them came to us to get food, then left. A couple weren't very social, so we took some plates to them. Three of the men ate with us. One of them, specifically sat down with Seth, Callie, Brent, James and I and shared his story. What sadness and loss he has experienced. I'm sure in the midst of all his losses, he made some poor choices which has made it difficult for him to find work now, but I cannot imagine walking the path he has walked. He has no one. His parents and brother have passed away, and his sister lives clear across the country and they have not maintained contact. He truly has no one. It doesn't change the fact that he made some poor choices, but he is suffering the consequences. It's our job, now, to show compassion and to help make a difference in his life. We still don't know exactly what our specific role is, but we are seeking God in all of that, and He has laid a lot on our hearts.

I am praying that I will seek God in trying to find this balance. I think my biggest issue is lack of waiting for direction. I speak when I should be quiet and I act when I should be still and listen. I need to know from God what to say and when to say it, what to do and when to do it. I think if I can slow down a bit and wait on God, my responses will probably show this balance that I think we have to have. I just know that we are called to serve, and when I serve others, I want to serve them well, with the heart of Jesus.