do you have two thumbs?

 

About two weeks ago, over an innocent lunch of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, I found myself suddenly living out a moment that I’ve imagined countless times in my mind- Pete discovered that his left hand is different.

 

I’m not even totally sure how it started. I think Emerson was saying something like “If we all pitch in to clean up, it will go faster because four hands work better than two.” And she started figuring out how many hands we have in our whole family. Pete, for his part, was not paying much attention at all, but then Emerson said something about her thumbs and then said (with the utmost sincerity, kindness, and blunt honesty that only a sibling can give) “Pete, you only have ONE thumb.”

P- “One thumb?”

E- “Yes, you only have a thumb on your right hand but not on your left.”

P- “Emer, {his nickname for her} how many thumbs do YOU have.”

E- “2.”

P- “Mama, how many thumbs do you have?”

me- “I have two, Pete. Most people have two thumbs, but God made your hands different because he knew that you were smart enough to figure out how to do things even with just one thumb.”

P- “Iris {our nanny}, how many thumbs do YOU have?”

I- “2, Peter.”

He looked at his hands for all of 5 seconds and declared, “I have two thumbs as well.” And with that, while I had tears in my eyes {both pride that he was so confortable with himself and sadness that we even needed to have this conversation in the first place}, my kids went back to eating PB & J and talking about Jake and the Neverland Pirates. The moment was totally surreal, but it was not to be the last of its kind.

 

A few days later, we ran into my dad at the YMCA and while they were playing, I heard him ask “Gwapa, do you have 2 thumbs?” My dad confirmed that he does indeed have 2, and that was that. Pete seemed to just want to check it out, but wasn’t lingering on it.

 

Until this weekend. Emerson and I were in Colorado for a wedding and the boys were hanging around here. At one point, Jeff was pushing him on the swings in our yard, and Pete became very quiet. Jeff thought he might have dozed off and said “Hey, Peter, are you awake?” Quietly, sadly, he said to Jeff, “I only have one thumb.” He was sitting there, thinking about the fact that his hand is different. The kid is not even 2 1/2 years old, but he’s already so introspective. And we can see that it’s hurting his feelings to know that he’s not the same as everyone else.

 

Break my heart. Break my freaking heart.

 

As his mom, I just want to FIX this for him. But that’s not a realistic possibility. And while he is A-MAZ-ING at the things he can do on his own, the fact of the matter is that he will always look different. Now, I’m a firm believer that he needs to know from the get-go that YES, his hand and arm are different but that he is totally “normal,” and according to Psalm 139, he’s “fearfully and wonderfully made” by God. I don’t want to hide his differences from him or keep it a secret. My feeling is that I’d rather he hear it from us than from some punk-assed 7 year old on the playground at school. I’d rather arm him {pardon the pun} with the feeling that he’s different but equally awesome so that when that day comes (and, unfortunately, I know it’s coming), he’ll have the confidence in himself to shrug it off and move on.

 

In my heart, I know that he’ll find some great friends, and even a great girl that would love him just as he is. Check out this picture… He’s so blessed to know that type of love his entire life. This is my absolute favorite picture from this summer. She’s holding his LEFT hand! There will be more bumps in the road, Bug, but always know that you are loved and You. Are. Awesome!

can we talk about pete for a minute?

This boy is just about the sweetest thing ever. Sure, he flops on the floor when he doesn't get his way. And he's a rotten listener, especially when someone suggests that he cleans up his toys. And he's into everything. He's so curious to see how things work and what makes this or that happen. Yep, he's definitely a BOY. But he is also so generous and sweet and loving. Most mornings, he gets up and his first words to me are "Good morning, Mama. How was your sleeps?" Some lucky days {like today}, we get to snuggle in my bed for a bit and he'll gently rub my face and dish out the complements. "I like your brown eyes, Mama."  "I like your soft cheeks."  Sigh.

He's also just about the most generous person on two feet. Without fail, whenever he gets a treat of some type (Skittles, ice cream, granola bar, you name it), he always  says "Would you like a taste, Mama?" And when Emerson begs a taste, his standard response is "Sure. Sure." Love that boy.

He's a lover too. When he sees that Em is upset about something, he'll come over and snug her or rub her back. And she's generally less than enthusiastic about this, but that doesn't stop him. The very next time she's upset, her little brother is right by her side. And his Mama falls a bit more in love with him each time.

Thanks, God, for sending us such an amazing little man. May he be a role model for our whole family!

celebrating 5!

Somewhere along the way, the summer has slipped through my grasp like grains of sand at the beach. I go back to teaching in less than 2 weeks. What the heck?!?!?

 

Speaking of time slipping by at warp speed, guess who is turning FIVE this week?? Miss Emerson B! We had the big birthday bash today, and we used a Candyland theme. A pretty loose Candyland theme. Think of it more like “Emerson’s Candy Fantasy.”  We had 10 kiddos here for games, songs, and of course, the Candy Bar. Enjoy the pics!

This greeted guests as they came in the front door. Jeff had the great idea to wrap PVC pipes to make giant peppermint sticks. A great touch!

We used our Cricut to make a few things, including the sign that said (as per Herself’s request) “Welcome to Girling Candyland. Come on in!” And I loved the paper honeycomb balls wrapped in iridescent cellophane to make giant candies. Thanks, Pinterest! Emerson was so proud to be able to help (and it gave her some great tying practice too.)

I have a friend with a cookie decorating business, and she made some Candyland game piece cookies for each guest to take home. They were darling!

The Candy Bar was the centerpiece. After the guests arrived, I told them the only rule for our party: You can eat as MUCH candy as you like! Their eyes were as big as their smiles when they heard that. Although 2 kiddos told me that they would get cavities or tummy aches from our party. I reassured them that one day off the wagon would be ok.

 

Instead of a cake, we made simple cupcakes and the kids decorated them however they wished with candy.

Emerson has such wonderful friends. We are truly blessed. Happy Birthday, Big Girl!

things she says

In the last couple of days, Emerson has had me holding my sides with laughter. There's no possible way these will be as funny to you, but I MUST write them down so that I remember them. Again, go with me here...

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E (on the phone, frantically)- "Mama, Mama! I need you to do me a HUGE favor when you get home."

Me- "Sure, what is it?"

E- "Whatever you do, PLEASE don't mop the floor. That's the favor."

Me- "I think I can handle that."

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E (apropos of nothing)- "Mama, do you wanna know what my favorite part of the Monster Truck Jam was?"

{Mind you, this took place in February and it's now July, but whatever.}

Me- "Yes, actually, I DO want to know."

E- "It was the cotton candy. Cotton candy is my favorite type of cotton AND it's my favorite thing about the Monster Truck Jam."

-----------------------------------------

Me (at bedtime during prayers)- "Em, what do you want to thank God for today?"

E- "You. I think you're the greatest person I know. I guess I should have said that on Mother's Day, right?"

Me- "Oh, I don't know about that. It sounds just as nice to me on July 20!"

{I added this one in because I know that she won't be saying this to me in 10 years.}

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{also during our bedtime, during our Sing, Sing, Sing Goodnight song}

Me- "Sing, sing, sing goodnight. Sing goodnight to the pool..."

{We usually only sing goodnight to people, so this struck her as a bit odd.}

Em- "Sing goodnight to the POOL?!?! What in the world???!?!!" And then she dissolved in to a fit of giggles.



I told her that her friends are so lucky to have her because she is a funny, funny girl.

go with me here

Often times, I think of my blog as my personal journal, and I forget that anyone reads it. And with my sporadic posts this year, I'm sure there are hardly any readers. So forgive this self-serving post, but Emerson shared a bedtime story with me tonight that had me in stitches and I need a place to record it ASAP.

I went in to give her a hug at bedtime, and she's under the covers in her "cave," talking to her buddies.

E- "Mama, wanna hear a story about Stuffy? (her 5 foot long stuffed dragon that she won at Disney World last year."

Me- "Sure, Big."

E- "Well, back in the days, before he came to live at Disney World, he was a REAL fire-breathing dragon. And Teddy {picture a small brown bear the size of a Beanie Baby} was a Knight. He had on the full armor of God {she's been listening to the soundtrack from Backyard Bible Camp NONSTOP ever since the second week of June. It's hard to say no to Jesus music, but I'm ready to go postal on these same 6 songs!} He had the Helmet of Truth and the Breastplate of Righteousness.

{SHE PAUSES FOR 10 SECONDS}

He didn't have the shoes because they didn't have any in his size, so I had to rent some for him."

Me- "Wow, Teddy! I had no idea that you had lead this adventuresome previous life as a Knight in the Full Armor of God!"

I then gave her the hug and told her to keep dreaming and sharing her story with her buddies.

She's something, that one.

my sweet boy

I’m just totally in love with this sweet boy these days. Sure, he has about 4 flop-on-the-floor tantrums everyday, and yes, his favorite saying right now is “I can do it all. By. Myself.” {and he really says it like that!"}, but I just can’t get enough Pete. And I thought I’d share.

One of the things I love the most about him right now is that he genuinely seems to GET the concept of gratitude. {I wish he’d teach his sister!} Every night during our prayers, I’ll say “What would you like to thank God for today?” and he’ll respond with some great answer- not just the last thing we did that day, and not always right away either. Sometimes he needs to think on it for 30 seconds or so. And then he’ll pipe up with something like “Getting to see our cousins,” or “Being with Grandma and Grandpa,” or “Playing fort with my sister.”

Seriously. He GETS it! And he’ll randomly tell me that he loves me during the day. AND he thanks me for stuff. Like today- it’s 157 degrees here {again!} and he particularly enjoyed a refreshing drink of cranberry juice. He was quietly drinking it for a few minutes and then said, “Thank you for getting my juice to me, Mama. It’s tasty.”

Sigh.

mini-LOAD challenge

In my previous life, I used to be a scrapbooker. I LOVE scrapbooking! I started in college and just really enjoy the creative aspect of blending papers, photos, words, and other doodads into a beautiful snapshot of the important moments in our lives. But with the addition of 2 kids, working full-time, doing travel planning in the evenings, and just life in general, I have really gotten behind on my scrapping.

Enter Lain Ehmann. She's a blogger, Podcaster, and scrapbooker extraordinaire. I've been listening to her Podcasts since early this year, and she's slowly convinced me that I don't have to leave the house and book a 3 day weekend out of town to work on my albums. I CAN do it here. I have even - are you ready for this?- worked on my albums during the day. While BOTH children were here. {Admittedly the small one was sleeping, but still.} Emerson has even gotten to help me a bit, by creating a green title with spray mist and placing the stickers on a page. Awesome.

A couple of times a year, Lain has a Layout-A-Day challenge (LOAD), where scrappers commit to creating a page a day for one solid month. While this seems like a bit more than I can handle right now, I decided that a mini-LOAD challenge just might jumpstart me again. So I committed to do a page a day for a whole week. (Thanks to Melissa and Jennifer for getting me off to a good start!)









I can say that as of Thursday (when I'm planning to crop in the evening after the kiddos are locked away, er, in bed), I will be on track. And I wanted to share these LOs with you. Because I struggle, you may need to do yoga to see them oriented correctly. {Uncle Matt, how do I edit pix taken with an iPhone?!?!?!?!}

kind of a big deal

So as you may or may not know, I'm a travel planner who specializes in Disney Vacations. I'm also a HUGE Disney geek and get my weekly fix by listening to no fewer than 3 Podcasts as well as listening to streaming music from the Theme Parks. But this week marked a new Disney experience for me...I got to be a guest on the PassPorter Mom's Podcast!!! For those who don't know, PassPorter started as a set of guide books for Disney travelers, and now they include specifics on the Disney Cruise Line, Disney World, Disneyland, and lots of other topics for specific Disney travelers. And I've been listening to Jennifer and Sara for about 2 years now, ever since I began working with MEI & Mouse Fan Travel.



Last month, I submitted an article for their weekly newsletter, which circulates to over 55,000 people! And I was talking with Sara about other possible article topics when I came up with the idea to write about the countries I'd add to Epcot if I were an Imagineer. She then asked me to be on the Podcast, and the rest is history.



I'd love for you to check it out. It is episode 126- "Our World Showcase Wish List" from 6/12/12. The podcast is about 40 minutes long, and I come on about 7-8 minutes in, so don't think you have the wrong episode if I'm not there right away. I'd love your feedback!



Here's the link from their website.



And here's a link to the show in iTunes.

Enjoy!

messy arts/science day

When I was a girl {Oh man, is it gonna be one of those stories?}, I have a very clear, fond memory of getting ahold of a can of my dad’s shaving cream, standing by the kitchen sink, and squeezing a fluffy dollop out onto a baking sheet to create a unique canvas for art. And I also remember my mom putting the kibosh on it, telling me that she didn’t want me wasting the shaving cream and making a huge mess.

Fast forward to today. Em planned a play date with her good buddy, T. I tried to think of a few fun outside activities, and decided that a bit of shaving cream art was in order. My only direction to them was that they needed to use up the whole can! They very quickly moved away from the cookie sheets and started making it “snow” on the sidewalk. It was awesome to see them writing some words in their cream and reading each other’s writing. I’d say that this was $1.69 well spent.

They also traced their outlines (so cute to watch them giggle as they traced around ticklish parts), made “volcanoes” by dropping a combo of vinegar and food coloring into baking soda, and played with Ooblek (it’s an awesome substance that is simultaneously a liquid and a solid.) If you’ve never experienced Ooblek, you MUST promise to make it this summer. It’s simple to make- just 2 parts Cornstarch and one part water. You can add some food coloring to make it more fun.

 

a plethora of pictures

I know that I’ve been woefully neglectful here during the school year. But now that it’s summer (woo hoo!), I’m back in Mama mode, and that includes all things crafty. Here are a few shots from the last month or so.

Pete is as cheery (and as cheeky) as this photo suggests. He’s a riot, and it’s a good thing he’s so sweet because he’s a real stinker too!

We spent a weekend at the beach and were blessed with 90 degree temps in May! Perfect beach weather and great company too!

Speaking of the beach, check out these hot mamas!

Aaaannndd then there’s me looking not-so-hot. Too early on a Sunday morning with my early riser boy and no coffee. Fail.

But how could I be angry with this sweet face?

 

I’m one lucky girl!

dreams

See this?

It’s a jar. A plain, ordinary glass jar. No big whoop.

 

But see this?

This, my friends, is no ordinary jar. It’s a DREAM jar, and in it are {hopefully} many hours of fun and smiles and memories. Each little slip of paper says something like “Find a new park to play at,” or “ get a tasty treat at Jamba Juice,” or “bake cookies,” or “paint pottery.” You get the drift.

 

Throughout the school year, I found myself repeatedly telling the kids that “we’ll do X this summer.” But I can never remember all those fun X things when the time finally rolls around. So, I’ve been making a list. And now that school is done, I’ve written those fun ideas on little slips of paper, placed them in the Dream Jar, and we’ll pull one or two to be done each week.

 

I’m pretty pumped about this. 1. Because I think it’s a cute idea and for once, I did NOT find it on Pinterest…I made it up! And 2. it has generated some excitement around here, and that makes this Mama smile.

 

Happy summer, all!

he’s a big man now!

 

We had some big doings around here last Friday. Pete is now officially in a “big boy” bed. This, of course, is still his crib but with the front removed. He’s just a shade over 2, which is younger than I would have liked, but he seemed to be ready so we went with it. Jeff was home with the kids on Friday and was the PIC (parent in charge) for that first nap. It went something like this:

Jeff said good night and walked out of Pete’s room.

Jeff heard the sound of Pete getting out of bed.

Pete’s monitor mysteriously turned off.

Pete’s doorknob amazingly started turning all by itself.

As Jeff walked down the hall to investigate, he heard all footsteps stop and then hysterical, mischievous giggling ensued from behind the door. He went in to lay down the law and wrangle Pete back into bed.

Repeat.

Repeat again.

Jeff drug out the pack & play and Pete’s nap commenced.

The good thing is that he was so stinkin tired that he fell right to sleep on Friday night and did a great job. He did, however, fall out of bed twice. The second time was at 3:30 in the morning, and when I went in there, the poor guy was standing next to his bed, totally dazed as to where he was and how he got there. I rocked with him for a minute or two and then put him back in bed and he said to me “I not fall out again, Mama. I not.” And you know what, he hasn’t fallen out since. That’s my boy!

easter celebration

Here are a few pix from our Easter weekend. Hope yours was fab!

I love the look of adoration on Pete’s sweet little (2 year old!) face. So sweet and innocent.

 

 

Pete and Emerson enjoyed their first-ever taste of Peeps, as Pete is telling you in this picture with Grandpa.

 

I LOVE this image of my carefree, disheveled girl. And I have to laugh at my single image of Em and Pete together after “the Hunt.” Oh well, at least we have the memories.