The Ozmerican Life

Well it's been a long time...too long. Every day I think, "I should blog that." or "I wonder where those pictures are?"

I know this guy, He's about 6 feet tall, brown hair, eyes that strangely look just like Ava's, he talks a little funny, drives a loud car that's brown...I mean white, and thinks I'm the coolest person ever. I think if that guy were to download all my pics, resize them all and put them in a neat little folder on my desktop titled "For Karen to Blog"...I would get things done a lot quicker :)

Until that happens just one little story...

Praise the Lord my kids have been super healthy lately. I can barely even remember that last time we've even had a bit of a sniffle! So yesterday morning Jentzen woke up with a cough. "Oh NO! We're not getting sick in this house!" I thought. I suggested that we all pray for Jentzen. Quaid hops right up, "Yeah come on, let's lay our hands on him!" And continued on with the most beautiful prayer for Jentzen. I was nearly in tears.

I often pray for my kids, for our home, for me (to make it through the day:) But I don't usually include them in this...reminded me that just because they are little doesn't mean that God can't use them!

We went to the como zoo today with the kids. Since Nathan's mom was in the front seat...I was in the way back between Ava and Quaid. Riding along...chit chatting...kids playing...and then......

Q: "Do you smell that mom?"

Me: "Oh Quaid, that's disgusting!"

Q: (while taking a deep breath through his nose) "AAAAHHHHHH.....fresh toot!"

Me: (while trying not to breathe) "That is terrible!"

Q: "I just love fresh toot!"

And I was quite happy to know that daddy was not spared...it did make it all the way up to the front seat :)

Ava, like I've mentioned before, is always up first. She has always been my one who needs the least amount of sleep. So the first moments of my child filled day are spent with Ava...and usually Keira. Ava is always kind enough to turn the light on...all the way...when she wakes up.

We did get those dimmers installed for just a moment as that...when one kid is sleeping but you still need to do something in the room. Ava obviously doesn't see the need. If she's up, then for sure Keira should be too!

So I go on....I was feeding Keira and the whole house was still and quiet except for my sweet Ava. She sat down right next to me....

A: "Mom, guess what?"

Me: "What honey?"

A: "Grandma said that God put man here to take care of woman...yeah she said that...so Quaid is supposed to be taking care of me. And yesterday he was NOT taking care of me. He hauled off and kicked me right in the back. And he left something there, grandma said there was something left there from him kicking me. He was NOT taking care of me and God said he should be taking care of me!"

Me: "Well that's too bad."

I love how Ava has learned that phrase..."hauled off and (insert some form of physical meanness) me. She didn't hear it from me...so who knows where that came from!

Yep that was my only response.

I had my first heartbreaking moment with Quaid last night. Well not the first moment per say but the first of this type of hurt.

Quaid goes to Awana at a local church in our town. He absolutely loves it! He really likes going anywhere, any day at any time. I myself am a bit of a hermit so when the kids get to go out, it's a pretty big deal.

When he got dropped off, one of the leaders told me that he had a bit of trouble with the games. The group he's in is ages K-2nd grade. Quaid is 5 1/2 and a second grader is probably 8. That is a big age difference pertaining to physical abilities.

When I was putting Quaid to bed I asked him what the trouble was. His little head hung down, and with his little sad voice, he said the he was the last one in line every time and the first one that got out. He look so disappointed and defeated.

I'm not one that feels bad every time my kids are sad. It is a part of life the must be learned. Things are not always about them, things are not going to always be how they want them to be. I don't feel bad when they are sad that they only got 1 cookie instead of 3. I don't feel bad when they are sad because they were disciplined for something they did wrong. I don't feel bad when they are upset that they have to clean up their toys...but this was so different. He had done nothing wrong...it was the left out kind of sadness. I tried to explain that they were just bigger than him, that he did his best and that's all that he had to do. He would be the "big kid" some day. That he was already the bigger kid compared to Jentzen. No matter my words, It was still the sad little hanging head with a small voice..."Okay mom," was all he could muster up.

As I think about it today...really it was a pretty trivial little thing. It was a first of many disappoinments he would face in the future. There was sure to be times in the future when he's not he winner, when he's picked on by someone else, when he's left out. It's my job to show him how to handle it and to encourage him...I know he will learn to deal with it and so will I. But yesterday was a first for us both. And I bet he's already handling it better than me! I'm still sad for him and I'm sure he's had a great day and has forgotten about it already.

And it's confirmed...their pain is much more tough on me than my own!

This was a super great idea!! Deb cooked some noodles in water with some green food coloring to make the seaweed. Good ole' hotdogs with one end cut in 4 to make the octopus legs. Also getting the short hot dogs would work a little better because they're not so top heavy...our poor squids were a little sleepy as you can see :)

Now the real talent was trying to make a ketchup face on the hot dogs. One should have figured out that putting ketchup on a wet hot dog might just slide right off, yeah well...we partially managed to get fairly decent eyes and smiles on them.

The kids LOVED them and thought it was the best lunch ever!