Uh Oh

Well, I know I already posted today... but this kind of thing can't be passed by.
Jessi got her first eyebrow shaping tonight. Instead of hot wax, we went with blue bubble gum.

She got it good and worked in before she came for help.



We did a little pre-soak and scrub with peanut butter.

And then I ended up having to comb it out with an eyebrow comb. She was very upset and finally asked if eyebrows came back and once we assured her that they do, she was slightly calmed.

I think i did end up yanking one good clump out, but her eyebrows are so light that hopefully it won't show.

Jeff asked her how she did it and she said she was trying to put it over her eye and trick Joey. I think this time though, she was the one who ended up getting tricked.

hot fun in the summer time

It has been hot. Really hot. So hot that we have to wait until late afternoon to even go out and play in the water. These pictures are from the last few days.

Disclaimer: Our mower and trimmer are both very ill. The mower is in the hospital with a two week stay just for diagnosis, who knows how long until it is actually running. We are trying to borrow a mower, but in the meantime, please overlook the knee-high weeds.Joy knows that a little mud is good for the complexion.
This one really cracked me up. She pulled the little seat over so she was under the arch of the sprinkler. She was in a nice cool spot, but without the direct water fall. Clever girl.

Not that she has any problem with direct water spray when she wants it.
Joy mimics Jessi's every move. I am trying to impress upon Jessi the importance of being a good example so that Joy will learn nice things. As I've posted before, Jessi is an interesting combination of prima ballerina and tom-boy but usually not at the same time. Joy just knows that the Tutu is Jessi's .... and so are the cleats.

Joy is sporting some super-cool shades the kids got at a birthday party last weekend.
This is our super duper mega bubble maker. It's a little kit that comes with the special wand and a book. It's by Klutz books http://www.klutz.com/catalog/product/1110 and can probably be found in the gift shops of museums. We have been experimenting with the special bubble recipe and with the techniques and are starting to get some pretty impressive bubbles. The real problem is actually getting the bubbles off of the tool before the kids come attack them. I do understand... it's fun to chase and pop normal bubbles, but bubbles that are bigger than you are? Why they simply BEG to be attacked!

Jessi had her dentist appointment today. She did great, although we couldn't quite get her to understand how to bite the exray films so we didn't get any exrays. She sat perfectly for the cleaning and exam though and was well rewarded with a trip to the treasure box.

I have a list of things I intend to write about... eventually. Until then, I hope your summer days are as full of laughter and fun as ours are.

Tom Train recall/ Dental visits

Just in case some of you with young children haven't seen this already, there is a recall on some models of wooden Thomas the Tank Engine toys. Full details can be found here. http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml07/07212.html

Several of our toys fall under this recall... I'm not sure how we are going to survive without James for the several weeks/months that it takes to get a replacement... this is a sad day for the Luck children.

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Today was the first of our week long series of dental office visits. The office has a policy of not filling up one day with the same family (if you cancel they have a whole day of empty office to pay for, I totally understand) so we started out with Joey today, Dean goes Monday, Jessi Tuesday, Jeff Wednesday, and I was scheduled for next Thursday but they canceled me and I now go in July. Joey did very well as usual. Almost too well. It's a combination of the fact they they play movies right there in the chair (Toy Story) and the fact that Joey went through so many really unpleasant medical treatments as a little guy that he seriously just checks out when he goes to a doctor. I know that he's fine and will come back from his happy place as soon as they are finished, but I can understand that they get just a little concerned when he lays there unresponsive. I really wish I could master that technique and use it for giving birth... too bad he'll never have the opportunity to put it to such good use! He is growing teeth way ahead of schedule, he lost his two bottom front teeth just a few weeks after his 5th birthday, the molars he recently got are actually permanant molars! I guess what we commonly term as "12 year molars." His crossbite is still there (he bites like a little bulldog, bottom teeth out in front) and the dentist said we'll keep a close eye on it when he loses his front top teeth, that is the time to try and redirect the jaw. It may correct on its own, or he may have to wear retainers.
Dean goes on Monday... he thinks he needs braces and Jeff agrees... I'm hoping that the dentist agrees with me, that he doesn't! Even with insurance, braces are expensive enough to make me want to cry.

trying to think of a clever name for today's ramblings...

Today was the last game of the tee-ball season, not that we are done, we still have trophies and closing day picnic, but the games are done. We won't go into how happy that makes me because according to my husband, I'm un-American in my disdain for all things baseball. I'll just have to show my patriotism some other way. More on that later.
Here is Jessi leaving 3rd base and running home, her last run of the season. I have to comment on those batting helmets. They are huge. HUGE. It is so stinking hilarious to see all the kids running around out there like bobble-head dolls. Not only are they bulbulous and make the kids top-heavy, they are too big and missing the chin straps, thus Jessi holding her hat for dear life while she tries to run bases. My son, my pride, the joy of my life. Unfortunately for his father, Joey shares my lack of passion for organized sports. We have had him finish out the season simply for character purposes, but even so, Joey has put his own twist on things. Here he is running home from third. Well, not exactly running. More like... well, what do you call it when a robot quick-steps? Because that is about the only way to describe this mode of locomotion. If you can stop laughing, try to note the batting helmet which, although Joey is heading South, is distinctly taking a South-East course.


Completely unrelated to tee-ball...Joy looking UTTERLY adorable. There is no particular reason for her to be wearing a knit hat in June, but you have to admit, the look really works for her.

And finally, I'M FREE! I have been separated from active duty since July of 2003, but have had to check in every year as a member of the IRR. I'm finally done with that as well. I guess I can now go participate in anti-war protests and call officers bad names. http://www.timesargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070603/NEWS01/706030397/1002/NEWS01

Oh well, it's prettier than the paperwork I got when I got out the first time.

Joy makes jokes (and enjoys peanut butter)

Joy is now 17 months, it doesn't seem possible. She stayed a "baby" longer than either of the others, but there is just no denying that she is well on her way to being a "person."

She has several words that she uses now along with her signs so we can generally tell what she wants. She is learning the art of a "fit" and is prone to dropping on the floor to weep pitiously or fold her arms and lay her head down to cry, or lacking a floor to drop on or a place to fold her arms, will resort to dramatically covering her face with her hands and weeping. This is one of those things that we are trying to nip in the bud, because while it's adorable right now, it just ain't so cute come 2 1/2, or 3, or 5... On the other hand, I am trying to sneak some pictures becuase it really is funny. She's going potty very well, communicates to us by saying "ta-ta" (apparently that's baby for "potty") and tapping her diaper. I would like to get her out of dipes and into panties this summer, at least for day time, but she still has a rather strong dislike of going in public restrooms... not that I blame her, but that is our main obstacle.

She does of course engage in a lot of pretend play, talking on any "phone" she can find, playing with baby dolls and stuffed animals by wrapping them up or diapering them, and she does an excellent job of copying the other kids by laying on her belly and propping up with one arm to draw on paper. She likes to play "where's Joy?" and point to her nose, toes, and belly.

Her latest accomplishment is that of making a joke! Last night I was playing with her, tickling, wrestling, kissing, etc. and she was playing right along. Then she sat up and started "kissing" my face, looked at me, pointed at my nose and said "Ka-ka" (that's cookie/cracker) and bit my nose! We are always "eating" her toes and neck and belly, so I guess she figured she'd return the favor. What really cracked me up was that this wasn't random play-biting, she used her food word to identify, then munched!

Now, I won't go into all the developmental psychology that explains the complex thought patterns she had to process to do this. You'll just have to take my professional word on it and disregard any parental bias that I might be inclined to show and believe me when I say that she is not only incredibly cute, she's undeniably smart!

funny stuff

Jessica has "veggie issues" (to put it mildly) but, to her credit, she does try. Recently, she ate some broccoli and we were very proud of her. A few days later, I was serving her plate again and asked how many bites of broccoli she would like. She assured me that she had already had broccoli. I told her no, she couldn't have, I was just serving it up... She told me that she DID have broccoli the other day. Poor thing, she thought that once she ate it, that was that.



I had to take Joyana to the dentist (she has a defect in her enamel, poor baby) and I was prepping the kids on how they were expected to act. I told them that they were each to take one toy and they were going to stay sitting and not going to act "goofy. " They listened, nodded, then very seriously asked if they could act Mickey and Minnie.



Today Joey was eating and had a funny look on his face. He told me, "mommy, I'm thinking." I asked him what he was thinking and he said, "I don't know. Mommy, do YOU know what I'm thinking?" I told him that I did not know and he looked shocked. "You DON'T?"



This evening Jessi came home from Tee-ball very discouraged. She is nothing if not competetive (as evidenced by the highly dramatic races to "win" from the car to the house every time we return home from going out) and today she got "out" twice. Daddy said that she hit the ball really well, and ran really great, but the other team had two lucky catches (face it, these are 4-6 year olds... any catch is lucky), both on her. I tried to explain to her that everytime someone wins, someone else has to lose, that sometime she would come home excited that she had caught the ball and some other kid would go home sad because they got out. Not much of this was sinking in, so I closed with the simple yet profound, "Some days you're the windshield, some days you're the bug." "and today, honey, was your bug day."
She looks at me with those huge blue eyes, so mournful, and replied, "yep momma, today I'm a little bug."

Another parenting decision to make

What a quandary.
I appreciate the positive response to my “Greenhouse” post, and I wish that the fact that I have stated my goals meant that I had all the answers to what that actually involves...however, I don’t. I guess parenting is about making decisions based on what you have prioritized as the “important things.”
The current decision facing me is that of VBS. I am a fan of VBS. I myself attended countless sessions of Vacation Bible School as a child—this is one time where we did go church-hopping! I have also seen instances where churches can use VBS as a community outreach and as a means of establishing contact for year-round bus ministry.
I always assumed that my children would experience the same wonderful summer-time fun of round after round of VBS, the crafts, the stories, the cookies and Kool-Aid. This assumption hit the roadblock of reality a few summers ago (when my children were actually too young to attend) and I helped out a little bit with our church’s VBS. Without generalizing that all VBS will involve the same dynamics, it did make me think... I would not have been very happy as a parent sending my child to that VBS.
So, back to the present, Joey and Jessi are now 4 & 5, prime time for VBS. Many of my mommy-friends have been discussing getting their children registered for VBS at area churches (apparently it’s something like pre-school and the good ones fill up fast). I’m faced with wondering if the fun they will have is worth what they might pick up? Without being over-protective, it is simply a fact that most of my peers (the people who would be teachers and workers) are simply not as “picky” about influences as I am. “Church kids” nowadays openly discuss things that even “bus kids” knew to whisper back in my day. The only “modern” VBS I have observed had loud, raucous music, complete with flashing lights and dancing.

I do crafts with my kids at home. I do Bible Stories with my kids at home. They see friends often (under the supervision of parents) and do not lack socially. The honest truth is that they probably don’t “need” to go. They would have fun, I would get a break (although, maybe not, since I’d have the baby and not have my helpers). Is that enough reason to release them to the influence of zillions of other 4 and 5 year olds?
Let me assure you that I do trust the teachers (at least the ones at our church – a different church than the one mentioned above), but a. they can’t be everywhere and hear everything, and b. their standards for what is acceptable is probably just not the same as mine (and that is ok—for their kids).
My kids do go to various church classes, classes which we feel like the benefits outweigh the “risk”, and they do not go to other church classes/ activities. I’m just not sure which category VBS is going to fall under.
Did you know that there are strange, over-protective parents out there who don’t even “do” Sunday School? I have to confess that I’ve just written them off as a little kooky in their zeal, but am I now joining their ranks?
I have had occasion in the past to stop attending a Bible study group due to the children picking up unacceptable words and behaviors in the nursery. As I mentioned in the last posts, just because I can’t protect my kids from everything... does that mean I shouldn’t even try?

I do NOT want our parenting to be based on fear. I don’t want to protect simply for the sake of sheltering or because I don’t want to have to answer hard questions. I do want to parent out of faith, purposefully choosing influences and experiences that will be beneficial to my children, confident that I can be proactive in shaping my children and not simply reactive in trying to do damage control. I fully understand that it will come down to each child making a personal decision to obey God, but I also feel strongly that there is a lot we can to do steer them.
I guess one good thing about parenting is that it drives me to my knees more than any other task I’ve ever undertaken. I guess it's time to hit the deck and ask God for leading even in this seemingly simple area of VBS.