Mike's birthday and thoughts on parenting

Today is the love of my life's birthday...I'm no longer the older woman that I was for the last 3 days!



Mike has the three kids at Disney right now getting his free birthday merchandise. Don't start thinking I'm a woman of leisure though because I'm still babysitting baby X today (as well as cleaning, laundry, baking bread, and making brownies to sell at the show tonight). Putting the baby down for his nap, I was remided of my kids' nap days and how they never seemed to lay down as willingly as baby X does. (well maybe Madi did, but definitely not the boys) Does it have something to do with kids listening to others better than they listen to their parents? As homeschoolers we hear the same song and dance over and over about how "I'm not that patient" "My kids listen to others better than they listen to me" "I could never do that, you're different from me". The thing is we aren't that different or patient, and our kids do listen to other people better, but we persevere. Good for us!! Often the best thing is not the easiest thing (is it ever?). I was also remembering when Jonathan was 18 months old and I babysat for a little boy the same age and his 3 year old brother. We would spend the morning at their house playing with them, I'd feed them lunch, put them down for a nap and leave. Their grandmother lived with them and was home, but I was there 3 or 4 mornings a week to give her a break. Putting the 18 month old down for a nap involved handing him a bottle, putting him the the crib and closing the door. Then I'd go home with my own 18 month old and we'd nurse and read and nurse and sing and cuddle and nurse and sometimes he'd go to sleep. I'd often lay there (nursing) and think about how much easier it might have be to just put him in a crib and close the door, was what I was doing making a difference? Well here we are 12 years later, and I'm pretty sure what I was doing has made a difference. (We've lost touch with the other family, and I'm sure that boy has turned out just fine too) Jonathan is really a great thirteen year old. Yes, he can talk back to me with the best of 'em, but he is such a good kid. He is an assistant at homeschool PE (he's too old to be in it so he helps, but if he were allowed to he'd have no problem playing the games with the 5-11 year old boys and girls, I don't think he even understands that some thirteen year old boys would find that odd). At the park you'll most often find him playing with and keeping an eye on the 2 year old boys. He's a Leader in Training at AWANA when he is not at Youth Group. And I think he sets a good example for his siblings and friends. I guess what I'm trying to say is sometimes we wonder why we do things the hard way, but in the end the proof is in the pudding.


Opening night went really well last night. I didn't take any pictures, but I stole this one from Tiffany...

Jake is a wolf and a villager and has about 6 costume changes. He is supposed to be a villager in the finale and then bow as a wolf. So he came out for the last scene with his villager costume on and his wolf mask up on his head (Madi's idea)...it was pretty cute, then he could sing as a villager and quickly pull the mask down to bow as a wolf. Tonight Madi is Cogsworth the snooty clock and Jonathan is a narrator. I'm looking forward to it.