Gavinisms & Bennettisms

These silly phrases are coming fewer and further between now, but I wanted to make sure I captured these things overheard over the last several months:

Bennett, on the moon's appearance:
"Look! A full moon! The moon musta had a big lunch today."

Bennett, on his favorite pastry:
"I love my muffin top."

Mixing up meanings:
Mommy: "Bennett, what are you doing?"
Bennett: "Anything."

Gavin, on the best job in the world:
"Nobody has a better job than kids. Learning is fun!"

Even superheroes have to take potty breaks:
Gavin: "If Flash came in here and went potty it would be like [snap] BOOM!"

After a zoo visit:
Gavin: "Bennett should be with the wild animals cuz he stomps so loud."

On a mole's appearance:
Gavin: "I have an x on my mole. I must have treasure in me!"

Brotherly love:
Bennett to Mommy: "You never give me special treats."
Gavin to Bennett: "Well, I guess you'll just have to live on your own."

On bug bites:
Gavin: "Daddy said I might turn into Spiderman because of my spider bite."
Bennett: "Uh-oh, then we won't have a brudder."

Profound, no?:
Bennett: "When I get bigger, I'm gonna grow up!"

Bennett, on running errands:
"We went to the piggy bank today and I got a sucker!"

On technology:
Gavin: "Mommy, you said you'd teach me how to tweet."
Bennett: "This is how you tweet: 'tweet tweet.'"

On family planning:
Ryan to Gavin: "How many kids do you think you'll have?"
Gavin: "Prolly two. No three. Cuz I'm taking Bennett. He's my brother and I love him."

On baseball attire:
Bennett, putting on a baseball hat: "Look at me! I'm a vampire!"
Gavin: "You mean umpire?"

Answering questions:
Mommy: "Did you have a good day at school?"
Gavin: [Makes fart sound with mouth] "That means 'yes' in farts."

Silly car conversations:
Bennett: [giggles]
Mommy: "What are you laughing at?"
Bennett" "The trees."
Mommy: "Why?"
Bennett: "Because they're just standing there!"

Look

I read an article the other day about how social media is killing self-esteem. Essentially, the pieces our friends share of themselves are mostly snapshots of perfection. They let us look at only the best part of their lives and subconsciously, we assume that our own is not living up to the hype. When we don't see everyone else's mess, it makes us question our own.

Reading that made me immediately thankful for the honest moments I've seen friends post recently on social media. The messy, raw moments that give everyone a look at what happens between those moments of perfection. For every artist-crafted Valentine box with working gears and lights, there were also the late-night, thrown-together boxes that were enough. For every smiling, healthy baby photo, there were also the anniversaries of miscarriages and babies who needed heart surgery. For every put-together, shiny family photo session, there were also a bundle of hot mess morning routines.

It reminded me that no matter what we show others, or how we perceive ourselves when we look at everyone else, the way God looks at us is always constant. It's always with unconditional love. From our happiest, shiniest joys to our messiest, in-the-gutter brokenness, and in every moment in between, we are so, SO loved. God sees our "hot mess" and makes something beautiful out of it.

Have you looked at yourself the way God does today?

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Check out what my friends think of today's word on their blogs: Steph, Shawn, Brian & Heather

Voice

Twice this week (and it's only Thursday!) opportunities to be a voice for orphans in Russia presented themselves. Two different people I hadn't seen in a while asked how my recent trip was, and while I reveled in gushing about my friends in Velikoretskoye, I also got to be a voice for the plight of the orphan in Russia. Now, twice in one week is pretty rare, I'd say, but it was a good reminder to me that opportunities to be a voice for the voiceless are all around me, every day.

There's the friend who's struggling and needs to be reminded they kick ass, or the co-worker who feels like a failure and needs to hear how talented they are. There's the homeless man who sits in the same place on my route to work every day who could use five bucks and a little human connection.

Our voices have power, friends. Here's to using that power for good!

Speak up for the people who have no voice, for the rights of the down-and-outers. Speak out for justice! Stand up for the poor and destitute! Proverbs 31: 8-9 

In what way can you a be a voice for the voiceless today?
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Check out what my friends think of today's word on their blogs: Steph, Shawn, Brian & Heather

Gather

The season of Lent begins again today, Ash Wednesday, and once again, Rethink Church has offered up a photo-a-day challenge. Because we like to torture ourselves grow in our faith, some of my friends and I will virtually gather to blog every day of Lent with a specific word in mind:

Here's the truth friends...

If my people weren't gathering with me to do this, I'm not sure that I'd be on board for 47 straight days of blogging. It just wouldn't happen. But there's something about gathering in a community (virtual or not) and doing something together that makes it more powerful.

We gather to eat, to watch movies, to celebrate a new baby, to remember a loved one who's gone, to see friends get married, to watch a kid's basketball game, and so much more. We gather because it's how we're meant to live...together.

Faith is no different. We're meant to do faith together. To hold each other accountable, to lean on each other, to make mistakes, to cry and laugh and love and learn...together.

Who do you gather with to share life?

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Check out what my friends think of today's word on their blogs: Steph, Shawn, Brian & Heather

Things I Said This Week

There are things I never thought I'd hear myself say...and then parenting happens. And so do these phrases:


Put the swords down and get some pants on.

Please don't throw Yoda at your brother anymore.

Licking your shoe is not funny.

It's not nice to pee on your brother.

Don't put your butt in my face until you get some underwear on.

Floss is for teeth...not toes.


These sweet, cherub-faced boys made me say every single one. That's right. Don't let them fool you.

If I Can Craft . . . So Can You!

You guys . . . I totally MADE this wreath. With my hands. And no help.

Well . . . let's be honest. Me and Pinterest are like this (crosses fingers). It had every potential to turn into a Pinterest fail, but turned out pretty cute, right?!

I am certainly not a crafter—but when I saw how simple this wreath was to make, I thought I'd give it a shot. If you like it, and want to make one of your own, you'll find some very helpful tutorials here and here and also here from people who officially kick ass at crafts. If I can do it, you can, too!

Happy crafting!

Note: I'm thinking about making these for a Russia Mission fundraiser. Let me know if you'd be interested in one and we can work out price/colors, etc. I'll even let you take credit for the "craftiness"!

Elegy for Bennett's Baby Fat: A Poem

I was holding Bennett's little hands in mine the other day, and the realization that his pudgy wrists and fingers are thinning hit me. Hard. It won't be long until his deliciously fat little thighs officially grow into long, lanky legs. Months maybe.

The revelation made me want to bottle up this last piece of baby-ness in him and capture it in a way that later, I'll still be able to feel how his plump baby cheeks feel against my lips when I kiss him. For me, the only way to do that is in a poem:

Elegy for Bennett’s Baby Fat

The fat sausage feet I’ve snacked on

for months help you flee from my nibbles.

You say, Don’t get me and run circles

around our ottoman, dripping

baby fat from your thighs and giggles

from your mouth.  I fattened that face

with milk from my breasts, and now

it’s been swallowed up by a boy

I don’t recognize.  I scoop you up

and chomp on thinning forearms

that used to double over like rubber

bands encircled your wrists.

You say, Eat food, Mama,

and wriggle from my grasp

the same way the boy sneaks out

from the baby you used to be.