super bowl Sunday

This year, Makenzie, Seth, and I decided to skip the boredom of the Super Bowl and do something that we enjoy instead. We had lunch at City Diner, then came home to watch movies, put a little puzzle together, and work on ordering Joel's 11-year-old pictures.

First was City Diner. Our list of friends in that restaurant is growing. Our daytime manager had to switch to the evening shift so that she and her husband (one of the cooks) could whip the evening staff in line :-) We miss her a lot!!! But now we've met and become friends with the new daytime manager. And today we learned the names of two more waitresses, one of whom always says "hi" to us. The other one doesn't talk to us, but maybe she's just shy or really busy. I learned her name just in case. And of course, we have "our waitress" who reminded me today what a blessing God gave me when He sent my sweet angel Seth from Heaven. "Our" waitress told us as we were leaving today that she had been having THE WORST day today until we came in. Seeing us made her smile and laugh and realize that she COULD enjoy the rest of her day. PRAISE GOD for this sweet child who brings smiles to everyone who sees him! Even the man at the end of the counter was getting a kick out of Seth's cuteness today. We also saw a family from church eating lunch there today. I hope they enjoyed the food (and Seth's entertainment) as much as we always do :-)

After spending hours finding the right borders for Joel's 11-year-old pictures, I got completely irritated by the web site I was using because I can't figure out how to ORDER the pictures! Here they are, though -- I can't seem to order them, but we can all look at them on the computer screen :-)

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today's song: "It is Well With my Soul" by Jars of Clay

Whatever my lot, You have taught me to say, "It is well with my soul."

Though the devil will ruin,
Though trials will come,
Let this blessed assurance control:
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate
And He shed His own blood for my soul.
It is well with my soul.

My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought,
My sin, not in part, but the whole
Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more
PRAISE THE LORD, PRAISE THE LORD,
Oh my soul!
It is well with my soul.

Joel's picture day

Today was Joel's 11-year-old picture day :-) We went to Campbell Creek Park for some outside pictures . . .


. . . and Luke and Jason built a fire for some inside pictures.


I am by NO stretch of the imagination a professional photographer, but that's not the point of the birthday pictures. Each child feels special to go out just the two of us to take pictures that are ALL about that one child. Joel had a certificate for free food at Denny's, so we also went there just the two of us. It was nice to spend time with such a cute, sweet companion :-)

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today's song "Take My Hand" by Shawn McDonald
Take my hand to the promised land
And on You I want to stand
'Cause I cannot do it all on my own.
You're what I need, and I need to be
Right by Your side 'cause I cannot hide
Lord, I know that I need You.

(all the lyrics are on the right side of the screen of the link if you click on "more info" in parentheses under the video maker's name and date)

then & now

A friend left a comment about my being glad that the kids are becoming more independent, but at the same time missing their being little kids. She's SO right! My kids (I'm sure all parents would say the same about their kids, too) were ADORABLE little kids!!!!! They were cute to look at, fun to watch, hilarious to listen to :-) Every stage they grow through is an exciting new adventure, but nothing compares to the first few years when they're all cuddly and "squishy."










I attempted a new creation (for me) in the kitchen yesterday, and I'm calling it mostly a success. Joel wanted an ice cream cake for his birthday, so I bought one from Baskin Robbins. That was a one-time deal, though, because those suckers are EXPENSIVE!!! I thought to myself, "How hard can those things be to make really?" So I made one yesterday. It really wasn't hard at all, at least with my lazy "i don't like to spend any more time in the kitchen than necessary" techniques :-) I learned valuable lessons from that practice run-through. Now Makenzie's birthday ice cream cake should be perfect. HA -- that's just a joke. My cooking/baking is NEVER perfect! But it should at least be acceptable. The taste-testers all voted that my ice cream cake was even better than Baskin Robbins, so taste isn't the issue. It's the looks of the thing that I need to refine a little bit. I had to walk on the treadmill tonight to burn off a few of the calories from eating the practice cake today!

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today's song: "It's Your Life" by Francesca Battistelli
Every day, the choices you make
say what you are
and who your heart beats for.

sleep!

Wednesday nights are much later than normal for my kiddos. Seth, especially, has some difficulties being awake for that many hours. So to make up for not getting to go to bed until 9:30 last night, he slept until ELEVEN O'CLOCK this morning! I kept listening to the monitor to make sure he was still breathing. While he slept in, I did three loads of laundry and took notes on a very long chapter for sign language class. And now he's fast asleep again:

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today's song: "May Your Wonders Never Cease" by Third Day (or HERE is the live version which is GREAT because they had never performed this song live before. they only did it at this one concert because a physically disabled man asked them to and hundreds of people on Twitter asked them to sing it for that man. i'm so glad they did, too, because not too many months after the concert, that man died.)

old pic, new day

This picture of Seth is from November, 2008 (i think). Back when he had short hair and took naps (not that those two facts are related in any way -- that wasn't a very "English teacher-ish" sentence at ALL!).


But it shows the same ornery smile that he was giving the ENTIRE time we were at City Diner today! He was QUITE interesting with his wiggling and yelling and getting off and back on his stool at the counter. "Our" waitress was getting a real kick out of the "show." I'm thinking the other customers might not have been having such a good time, though. Or maybe they were understanding because Seth is "special" -- have I ever shared how that concept kinda irritates me? ALL my children are "special," not just Seth! Seth has Down syndrome, is mentally retarded, and is developmentally delayed. But to give us "the look" that accompanies the word "special" in reference to Seth implies that somehow his diagnosis makes him inferior, pitiable. Strikes a nerve with me, apparently, although I would never want to offend anyone who has used that term and of course didn't mean to offend me. ANYway, Seth IS special -- and so are Joel, Makenzie, and Luke -- and so are Gavin and Makayla -- and so are . . . . . . . . . . (you get the picture).

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today's song: "God" by Rebecca St. James

He made the night, He made the day
Spread the earth upon the water
Made the heavens and the rain.
Look at the sky - see its design
The very same Creator is the one who gave us life.

growing kids

My kids are growing up so fast!!! I love it that they can do things for themselves. Makenzie wanted a cup of water, so she got it :-)

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today's song: "Start Over" by Addison Road

You can't change what you've done
But you can choose who you'll become

Every moment is a second chance
At starting over
Move from the past to the present tense
You can start over again.

Yesterday is gone
Today is all you've got
You don't have to be who you've been
You can change within
It's never too late
To start over again!

swirly Joel and silly Seth

Joel woke up this morning with a "swirly" stomach. He cracks me up with his descriptions! He didn't feel like eating breakfast, so he got ready for school, but had to come back home at 10:00 because he was feeling more and more nauseated. Once he got some fresh air and ginger tea, though, he felt much better and was able to eat his lunch, do his homework, and then watch movies all afternoon. He didn't eat much dinner, so I'm guessing he's still feeling a tiny bit "swirly." I'm hoping tomorrow that stomach bug is GONE!

Seth is HILARIOUS with his funny little tricks. When he's watching "Blue's Clues" in the living room, he can hear me open any of the three doors in the other side of the house. He comes running back there to close them, not caring at all that I really wanted them open (the heat doesn't seem to be working properly in those rooms, so they get pretty chilly with the doors closed). He knows that I want the doors open, so he LAUGHS and LAUGHS while he's closing them. All of life's a game to Seth :-)


"Ha, Mom! I closed it! And I'm blocking your way to re-open it, so THERE!"


Luke taught him this little trick yesterday:


How in the world did we think living was really living before Seth came to make us laugh????!!!!

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today's song: "Keep me Sailing" by Eden's Bridge

Oh, here are fears that drown in the seaways
Here are fears like lead in my shoes
And who can lift my eyes from the riptide but You?

Holder of the rudder and the anchor of my heart,
(Keep me sailing)
Stay the wind and hold my course,
Be near me in the dark.
(Keep me sailing)

I breathe my dreams out over the water
There comes a time to see the things through
And then we find the reason to travel to You.
So join Your hands with mine while we travel
My journey's end is caught up in You
And rest feels near though journey's not over with You.

Holder of the rudder and the anchor of my heart,
(Keep me sailing)
Stay the wind and hold my course,
Be near me in the dark.
(Keep me sailing)