1 Cor. 10:13

"[God] will not suffer you to clean up gross things above that ye are able."

--1 Corinthians 10:13 (modified slightly from the King James version)

***

The other night, long after we had all retired, my brother Daniel heard Mary wandering in the hallway. So he came out and asked if she was okay. Sweet little Mary, so tiny in the darkness, looked up at him, and without a word, took out her binkie, vomited into her hand, and then offered it him. That's when Daniel said, "I think we should go find your mom." Mary then spent five minutes puking on the rug beside my bed.

Thus began my official initiation as a mother.

So far, my children have been blessed with guts of iron. There is very little puking in this family. On the rare occasion that David or Mary has thrown up, Greg has been around to deal with it--every time. The result is that in my 4 and a half years as a mom I had never cleaned up kid vomit.

I do not consider this to be a coincidence. Instead I attribute it to God's knowing my limitations. I am squeamish to the utmost. So squeamish I can barely trim my kids' fingernails. So squeamish that no one is allowed to discuss even minor medical procedures in my presence, lest I pass out, crack my head open, and then require my own minor medical procedure. I am DEFINITELY too squeamish for puke.

But after a long night of wiping up vomit, scrubbing carpets, changing pajamas, washing pacifiers, smelling puke-encrusted hair, and holding my baby close, I know that God now thinks I can handle kid vomit. I guess I should be pleased that I am growing stronger as a mother???

God, no offense, but I really don't want to know what else You think I can handle.

(By the way, my sweet Mary is fine. But I will never be eating apples again.)

Carousel

For Friday night fun we took a ride on a carousel.

David loves the spinning "teacup." As he told me, "I don't like slow things. I only like fast things." (That describes him perfectly.)

Grandma Evie astride a horse and ready to go...

Mary was scared at first, but David welcomed her (and me) aboard his teacup...
They enjoyed the spin. (I, however, nearly lost my dinner. Ugh.)

On the way back to the car, Mary discovered paradise...
also known as the Sanrio store.

A delightful evening.

Big state, small world

Texas is a big state. So it is not uncommon for people's paths to cross here. (Especially if the Air Force and being Mormon has already shrunken the world for you.) One of the great things about spending the year in Texas is the number of friends and family I get to see!

Last weekend the kids and I drove down to San Antonio to visit Darin and Jessica and fam, whom we know from our happy days in Turkey.

Look at these handsome boys...

Noah, Christian, David (he's mine), Jag, and Davis

They are a wonderful family. Talk about boys raised right. (Parents of girls, you want your daughters to grow up and marry these boys!)

Some of them (like mine) definitely have a silly streak...

Oh yes, Mary was there too. She wasn't too thrilled about being in the picture, but Jag was more than happy to hold her (practicing for that baby sister on way, I guess)...

Despite the pictures above, Mary had a great time all weekend playing with new friends...
Who wouldn't love playing with this adorable little guy?
Anyway, it was a lovely, lovely weekend. Here are just 7 of the many reasons why:

1. Jessica "runs a tight ship" (to use her words). It was wonderful and soothing to my soul to be aboard. For the first time in six months I didn't feel like I was sinking.

2. David got to run around and play with the big boys. This included lots of sports and activities outside, a gang of neighborhood kids (David's DREAM), and some Wii on Saturday morning (another dream of his).

3. David got to run around and play with the little kids. David thought everyone was fun!

4. This where I would post the pictures I do not have of our outing to the park. I was too busy sitting on my rear to bother with my camera. That's a good thing. A wonderful thing! There are few things better as a mother than letting your kids run free while you sit back and enjoy the company of a good friend.

5. It's always fun to see the things people brought back from their adventures in Turkey. Check out this cute little evil-eye apron Jessica picked up at the Thursday market for a lira. Being the mean mom that I am, I forced Mary to model it...

6. A happy surprise! Another friend from Turkey, Jen W, just happens to live down the road from Jessica! Jessica invited Jen W and her two girls (who used to babysit David) over for dinner. It was so good to see them. (Here is a crazy coincidence: Jessica was recently asked to serve as the children's Primary president...and Jen W is her first counselor. Back in the day, for a very brief time, Jen W and Jessica were in the Primary presidency together in Turkey. Little did they know that was just the beginning of their adventure together in Primary! Did I mention this is a small world??) It was so fun to see Jen W. She's one of my dear friends from Turkey--she was always so supportive. And just the friend God knew I needed at that time in my life. Thanks to Jen W, David and I spent our last month in Turkey watching this over and over. Now that's friendship!

7. Darin, who was busy preparing for a big hearing, was super kind and came home early to watch ALL the kids so Jessica, Jen W, and I could go out to dinner. It was a regular girls' night out! Something I never do. Yes, I am pathetic. (I think the closest thing to a girls' night out I've had since David was born was the baby shower Jen W threw for me when I was pregnant with Mary. See? I would be that much more pathetic without her.) It was great! Good food and good old-fashioned gossip.

The weekend was good for my heart and mind. I loved the hours and hours of conversation. As I have struggled to figure out this motherhood thing, from the time David was small in my arms, I have learned so much from Jessica. And after a weekend in their home, I felt strengthened by her.

I am grateful to Darin and Jessica for opening their home to us. I hope we can head that way again. If only Texas weren't quite so big...

Fort Worth Stock Show

It's that time of year in Texas...time for the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo!

Yesterday afternoon we drove to Fort Worth and met Grammy here...

Love the Art Deco architecture!

Before we left I had a hard time explaining to the kids what we were going to do. I didn't want to say it was a rodeo because I wasn't sure if we would see any of those events. At first I explained it by saying we were going to see cows and horses. But I could tell that David was imagining we were going to a farm, like back in the day. So finally I told them we were going to see real cowboys. They were excited at this prospect, and Mary immediately insisted on wearing her boots. Which led to wearing her vest. Which led to wearing her hat (that got left in the car). Here is my little cowgirl...
(Here is a tidbit that I sense will be passed down in my family for generations to come: Mary may love cowgirl fashion, but she doesn't love the music. As soon as she heard the country music being piped through the grounds, she covered her ears and grimaced. She must take after her Grandpa, who tends to be more of a U2 kind of guy.)

Wowed by some big, handsome roosters...
The ducklings in the FFA Barnyard were a big hit...
Mary and a cute little cowboy checking out the chicks...
David and Mary both loved those sweet fluffy babies...
The pig is sleeping...
(And it did not appear to have a blue butt. I looked.)

Here is a picture of a hypnotized chicken...
But really I was taking a picture of the these two Future Farmers of America, who were endearingly giddy about their ability to hypnotize chickens. (So did Napoleon Dynamite make FFA jackets less cool or more cool?)

Love, love, love this kid...
After checking out some sheep and some swine, walking through the equestrian building several times, and chowing on some cowboy grub, we settled in to watch a little of this...
Team roping! Wow, talk about something that is not easy--it may even rival sacrament meeting with my kids.

David had a great time watching and cheering and hanging out with Grammy...

Mary passed the time by making silly faces...
...as well as clapping at the appropriate times. (My kids are quite the cheerleaders. Anyone who knows how energetic and enthusiastic they are can surely imagine.)

I was impressed with how well the kids sat there repeatedly watching this...

beginning...
middle...

and end...

Unfortunately, it was I who had to bail. I am seriously allergic to horses--like my airways close up and I can't breathe. That serious. (Just one of the hundred reasons I will never be cool like the Pioneer Woman. And just one of the millions of reasons I love my husband--soon after he met me, he gave up his growing love for horses and has never looked back.) By the way, don't ask why I thought going to a rodeo was a good idea. This is Texas: I guess I thought horse allergies wouldn't count here?

I thought the kids did very well. (Especially after the big weekend we had.) I'm so proud of them (especially for the minimal amount of whining about not getting to visit the carnival area). It was fun to see "a slice of life," as Grammy would say. This slice included drawls, handlebar mustaches, and the hubbub of competition. It was great fun.

***

Later that night I asked David what his favorite part was. He mentioned the ducklings, and then he remembered a really ENORMOUS turkey we'd seen: "That was my favorite! It was SO BIG--it would take you until next Christmas to eat it!"

When I asked Mary what the best part was, she declared, "ME!"

Where to begin?

I have a stack of books I received for Christmas patiently waiting to be read.

Where should I begin?

My heart tells me, "Pamuk!" But my mind says, "No. His novels always take such a long time for you, as you read them slowly. You are in no state to undertake such a commitment."

So I am frozen by indecision. The result of which is that I find myself rereading this series, which I dearly love, but I think it is time to move on...

Did you know that Pamuk means "cotton" in Turkish? We once had some friends with a beautiful Turkish Van cat named "Pamuk." At first I thought he was named after the author, but then I learned he was named "Cotton."

Anyway, I think I will follow my heart. Those other books will just have to remain patient. Very patient.

P.S. The book by Orhan Pamuk that I normally recommend is My Name is Red. But Snow is my favorite. (So far? I'll let you know.)

Everything that is important

Some days are worse than others.

Today was one of those days.

The dark feeling in my chest was so tight I thought I would vomit.

Instead I cried. Wept. Bawled. Left a puddle on my pillow. You get the picture.

But I knew I would pick myself up and make dinner for my family. And I did.

Then tonight I watched Mary show her belly to her daddy via Skype. And David showed him the canteen he made at school. And Mary roared like a dinosaur for her daddy and kissed the screen. And David talked about his big imaginary plans: Tomorrow he's going to a party at Yucky Cheese's and then going to visit his dad in Honduras.

They love their dad. And he loves them. Seeing that love filled my heart.

Later, when I was snuggled between my sweet children on the bed they share, David related to me the history of our family:

"First you were born. Then daddy. Then you and daddy got married. Then I was born. And then Mary was born. That's everything."

Yup, that's everything.

Everything that is important.

Arboretum

This morning we met Grammy at the Dallas Arboretum for a wonderful little outing.

(Though it wasn't as warm as expected. It was 60 degrees and sunny when we left Flower Mound, but when we reached Dallas the sky was dark and the temperature was 53. Now, 55 degrees for a January outing is perfect...unless you're dressed for 65 degrees. Fortunately, there was enough running around to keep us warm enough.)

David assumed there would be lots of pumpkins. When I explained that there wouldn't be pumpkins this time, he was a little concerned about the point of going. But I reminded him of the plow and assured him that he would have fun in the frontier houses. He was not disappointed. In fact, there is an entire Texas Pioneer Village--kid-sized. It was wonderful!

Here is Mary, running off through the village...

Mary's favorite was climbing up and down these stairs. She returned here again and again...

I almost didn't bring my camera. That would have been tragic because then I wouldn't have taken this picture...

and the twenty thousand others I am now going to show you...

Please pretend David is sitting in the chair with a perfect little smile on his face. He WAS there. But I wasn't fast enough with my camera...

Oops. Somebody lost her shoe...

I'm not exactly sure what is going on here, but I believe that is a pout on Mary's face...

Uh oh. The Q-tip is back...

Not a even a huge grin can distract from the poof ball on Mary's head...

This is the booger picture. Now I'm sure I could have spent 2 minutes editing it out, but what's the fun in that?

The double booger picture. (Mary has one too.) Keepin' it real...

(Psst. If you really want to see Mary and the booger in her nose, click on the picture. I'm blissfully un-savvy and don't know how to make Flickr pictures fit on my blog.)

Love this sweet girl...

Mary channeling Willa Cather...

David and Mary preferred to think of this as a choo-choo train...

This is Mary choo-choo-ing and David chugga-chugging...

Grammy and David discussing the merits of farming, pre-combustible-engine...

Meanwhile, Mary was at the school house...

Again, the highlight of the Arboretum for David was the plow. We need to buy a house with a good garden plot and put that kid to work...

Pondering that time-old question of what to make for dinner...

Oh my baby...

Hmmm. Do I hear this photo begging to be b&w? Let's try it...

I think I like it.

What about this one? Is it asking for black and white too...

Or this one...

This one?

Who knows. Not me. I know nada about photography, and I have a terrible track record when it comes to choosing black and white. (But those stories are for another day.) I consider it an achievement that I can change the batteries in my camera and upload the pictures.

(Hey, once I did take a photography class in seventh grade. But we never came close to touching a camera. Instead we built some kind of cardboard photo box, played around with photo paper, and filled out worksheets on how to organize your dark room. Needless to say, the class was something of a letdown. Maybe someday I will pick up where that class left off--well, more like 67 steps after where that class left off. But probably not because I enjoy my ignorance way too much. Bliss, bliss, bliss.)

Anyway, it was a truly enjoyable morning, and we are already looking forward to our next visit the Arboretum. It is always nice to "get out," especially to such a lovely setting.

Thanks, Grammy!