Family Fun!

Some days (a lot of days), it is hard not to question the logic I used when I intentionally became pregnant 4 times. I LOVE my children, but 1 child "times" 4 is A LOT of work. I realize this is a common theme in my blog....but really, they consume my mind, my time and my energy and so - well, I talk about it a lot. Tonight, however, was one of those times when I realized that with 4 kids, you ALMOST have a baseball team! Throw in a few spare family members and WHAM!!
The occasion was my mother-in-law's birthday (60 years old - YEAH!) and it was a great night. For dinner, I channeled my idol, Pioneer Woman, and we enjoyed several recipes from her website. PW, I think I am a good pupil and I gave you a run for your money :-), the recipes were a huge success!

Rosemary Skewers.....
Chicken Spaghetti....

Green Beans.....

And then....baseball (wiffle ball), of course! Boys against girls. The pitcher offended me a little, since he pitched with a glass of wine in his hand.....Everyone else was TOTALLY serious....
And then, I attempted a cheerleading jump and wet my pants, and the girls lost by one run. It was excellent. I would say "let's do this again tomorrow" but you just can't duplicate perfection.

~J

Early Morning Thoughts

I am starting this missive at 7:30 am because I am greatly inspired....by the sound of Wii bowling wafting through the speaker system of my house. I am wondering to myself, "what will the sleeping teenagers think of this?" and then I think, "who cares?". Next, I jump out of my bed to tell Michael (clearly the source of the Wii idea) to turn the volume down (people are sleeping, you know) and I trip on a pirate ship that is on my bedroom floor. This ship is one of an entire fleet of pirate ships that are dry docked in my bedroom because that is where Michael likes to keep them. Pirate ship is his game of choice while lurking in the parent's room.

THEN, it occurs to me that I should blog about Michael. Sweet, beautiful, blue-eyed, 7 year old Michael Decatur Quinn. Late in life baby. Only child of an only child but born into a house already chock full of kids.He is a superb artist and puzzle-doer, has an adult vocabulary (sorta good/sorta not) and can out dance anyone I have ever known. Presently, I am considering giving him a large, flat screen, plasma TV for his bedroom so he will actually want to SLEEP in his own room (and maybe take the armada up there, too). Is that bad parenting? Well, I would also like to have my shower back - free from the little army men and airplanes and submarines that keep appearing in there. Would a large, flat screen plasma TV for his bathroom be going over-board?

I am getting nervous just thinking this through. If I lure him back to his own room, back to his own bed - how will I sleep without his warm breath in my face? Will I miss the sound of his whispered prayers? Can I really sleep without Barney, too? And what about the giant Sponge Bob? He makes a nice pillow for my neck. Winter is coming and Michael is really warm. It is 8:00 am now - why sleep in? Hmmmm.

Wait. The Wii is off. Maybe I will just think about all this tomorrow.

I have another 7 year old son, only he is 20 now. He really does have a large, flat screen, plasma TV in his room. It means a lot to him.

More later.

~J

Summer's Lesson

I am back to blogging. I had to take a little side trip to my hometown to see my mama and then another little side trip with the family to fabulous and beautiful Italy. I love to blog and along the way, I have thought of many, many different topics that I want to expound upon. No matter what the topic is, though, the theme always seems to find its way back to G.O.D. Even the hurtful or serious ideas have been built upon the idea that He is the creator and author of my life and everything in it.This is the Tuscan sky. We marveled at it and sensed the presence of our Lord, sending those rays of holy light over our family and blessing our time together. I hope that you are surrounded my images and messages that affirm the same in your life.

Now, I am back to marinating chicken and bookkeeping and errands and dieter's remorse and all the everyday, familiar consequences of the life I have chosen. Sometimes it feels good and other times it feels disappointing and frustrating....and then I come full circle back to gratitude that I am not pushing through it alone. I mess up a lot. Thank you, God, that I get a fresh start every day. I thought about this many times on our trip to Italy. A different continent, a different language, a different culture and yet I admired - understood, even - the physical presence of Christian symbols above doorways, in courtyards, in art...to remind us of the source of amazing beauty and of the anecdote for misery.I am wishing my suitcase was unpacked and my desk cleared off....I regret that summer is almost over and I didn't have more time to rock on the front porch and catch fireflies in a jar. I pray that I will finally learn to let go of "should haves" and just breathe. It is all okay. Thanks to you, Lord.

Looking forward to the next sunset....

~J