New Heroes

My boys are majorly into heroes right now.  They love the idea of coming to someone's aid and rescuing them for imminent danger.  Not a day has gone by these last few weeks where I don't hear somewhere in the house an exaggerated cry for help and the immediate running of feet with an accompanying shout: Hold on!  I'm coming to save you! I'll rescue you!  I'm a hero!

A week or so ago they were playing with friends and started playing "heroes" when a little friend started talking about Spiderman and killing the bad guys.

Now, first let me tell you that I know my boys are going to get into Spiderman and Batman and all the other popular superheroes.  I'm not sheltering them from the superheroes, I just don't want them immersed in it all right now.  Scot and I have tried to let them know who these characters are without glorifying them.  Call us weird, or too conservative if you want, but at a time when I feel like I'm constantly training the boys to be kind to one another, and not hit, I'm not about to let them, young as they are, into the world of superheroes where violence towards others, even in the name of rescuing, is glorified.

Instead, I explain the different types of heroes and encourage them to have fun pretending to be heroes themselves.   I tell them that we live in and around heroes every day.  Firemen save people from burning buildings, policemen keep people safe, doctors save lives.  They're all heroes.  I tell them, too, they can be someone's hero when they extend a kindness.  Helping someone with their groceries, holding a door, picking up a fallen item.  Being a gentleman, I tell them, is like being a hero.  Princes, too, I remind them, are heroes.  They have to save the princess from the fiery dragon (who they have to fight) and bring her to safety.

I try to explain to them they can be a hero wearing the clothes they have on because heroes are real.  Superheroes, though, are pretend, because they have special abilities, like flying, or seeing through walls.  It's fun for them to pretend to be those types of heroes, too, and I encourage it.  I just try to major on the positive aspects of the hero so when they do enter the world where Batman is the coolest thing they've ever seen, they won't just see the violence.

In a world where we as a nation are so hardened to violence, it's hard to have boys who are wired to protect and be physical.  It's hard to teach them appropriate and inappropriate avenues to express anger or hurt.  It's hard, not because of what they want, but of what is around us everywhere.  It's hard to have violence glorified on t-shirts and cartoons and in books at the library when I'm teaching them something opposite.  Not passivity, please don't hear that.  Just self-control.  It's a dying and almost-lost "art", and yet here I am with two little boys who want to be heroes and the only "fun" role-models out there are full of violence.

So, hello firemen, policemen, and doctors.  Hello princes and gentlemen.  You are our new heroes.

And how fitting that we're talking about all this right now, since tomorrow is Easter and we celebrate the Risen Lord, who is the greatest Hero of them all.

cute quotes

Conversation over breakfast:
Drew: You my best friend, Evan?
Evan: Oh yes.  Every day we'll be best friends. Forever and ever!
Drew: Oh good.  I love you my best friend.


Evan: I love you mom. So much.
Me: I love you. So MUCH much.
Evan: I love you more, though.
Me: I don't think that's possible, bud.
Evan: You're right, mom. God loves me the most.


From Drew to Scot after not seeing him for a few days:
I miss you every day, Dad, all day.  I love you so much. 


Evan: On Easter, mom, if it's nice out and not windy, can we walk around the block with our flag [that says He is Risen!] and wave it?
Me: Sure thing.
Evan: Oh, good.  I want everyone to know that Jesus is risen!


Boy's conversation as they're using the bathroom simultaneously after my motherhood group:
Evan: uh oh. our pee's yellow. we haven't had enough water to drink.
Drew: me drink't lemonade.
Evan: oh right. i had lemonade with my snack, too. maybe that's why it's so yellow. (pause) we should still drink more water, our pee needs to be clear.


Evan (in the tub): Oh mom! Look at these big terrible waves! It's making the boat tipsy!


Drew: (said fiercely) Don't be afraid, mom. I fight the dragon, I protect you. I PROMISE!

sweetness

For me, there's not much sweeter than brotherly love.

oh, spring.

Why is it that spring is such a tease?  Especially here in Ohio where the alternative to clear blue skies and sun is gray and sun-less?

Well, spring, in all her wonderful glory, is teasing us.  I guess technically she wasn't really supposed to be here anyway, so I shouldn't be frustrated.  Tomorrow, though, I'd love for her to come and stay.  I'm ready to open my windows and air my house out!  I'm ready to hear birds chirping each time I open my doors.  And I'm ready to put our hats and mittens away!

Here are a few pictures of the boys the other day enjoying the sunshine.  We had our first picnic lunch on the front porch and spent hours outside just soaking up the sun-rays!

                            

Pi(e) night and an egg hunt.

Each year, we host our annual Pi(e) party on March 14 (3.14).  This year, Scot was attending a conference, so I made the decision to have only ladies join me in the indulgence of pie and wine.

It was a blast.  We laughed.  We ate.  There was wine sipped and stories shared.  The last of the guests left as the clock stuck 12.  I would do it all over again tonight if I could.  The fellowship, and the pies, were amazing.  I don't think men will ever be invited again. I sent the ladies home with paper plates full of pie for their husbands so they wouldn't be too sad about not being there.  They'll get over it.  They can come to the chili cook-off in the fall.

White chocolate raspberry, apple, and chocolate truffle

Most of the gals present for the festive night.  I am blessed with good friends.

The last pie (Creamy Pear) showed up a bit late, but we thankfully all had room for a slice!  Isn't is gorgeous?

Yesterday we had the fun pleasure of going to an egg hunt with friends at a neighborhood church.  It was very organized and the boys came home with a lot more candy than I expected.  They were only allowed  to collect 12 eggs (eggs were numbered 1-12 and they had to find one of each), but each egg was stuffed with candy and stickers.  There was more to the time than just an egg hunt, too -- a puppet show was watched, a parade was made, the Resurrection account was told, and snacks were had after the hunt.  It was a busy time, so I didn't get many pictures, but here are the few I did manage to snap in the frenzy.

stairsteps.

They may not be in order, but these 5 kids are all different ages right now (until Drew turns 3!)  

So here we have a 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 year old! 

Love it.

 Here they are in birth order
Emma, Evan, Grace, Drew, Abigail, Micah (5 weeks)

this one will be in a frame 

the 27th for the 5th time

Scot turned 27 last Friday.  For the 5th time.

Even though it was a repeat, we thought it would be ok to spoil him a little.  :D

The Lord had it all worked out, and even though he was working on his actual birthday, he was post-call (and not too sleep deprived) the day before, so we celebrated him then.  The boys (and I!) were so happy to have him home and he was happy to have us around to make the day special for him.  He's so easy to please and wanted a low-key day, so we made that happen but still made him feel like a king.

As is our tradition, we went out to breakfast.  Our favorite place is this little mom 'n' pop place down the road.  They have, hands down, the best pancakes.  Apple cinnamon, and pumpkin are our favorites.  The boys prefer the blueberry variety.

The day was his to plan, so we shopped a little, walked a little, had some ice cream, too.  We lounged and laughed and we even watched a movie after the boys were down.

Opening presents is always a highlight of any birthday-boys day, and the big birthday boy is no different.  He had a few favorite gifts, but I think my gift to him surprised and delighted him most.  I tend to give him slightly practical gifts that are a little out of the ordinary  or maybe something he wouldn't just go an buy himself.  He likes completely impractical gifts.  But this year, I got him a little remote-controlled helicopter.  He and the boys had a blast playing with it.  He loved controlling it, and the boys loved watching every one of those 14 minutes it was in the air!

A "last"

In life, we keep track of our "firsts".  Our first kiss. Our first date.  Our first child.  And with that child, there are many first.  Smiles, giggles, steps.  You get the idea.  And rarely do we keep track of "lasts".  They pass us by without a word.  Just like that you look back and think, wow, I don't think we've done that in a while...I wonder if we ever will.  

Well, we just had a "last" -- but instead of passing us by silently, we knew it was coming.  

We flew out to CO one. last. time. before we move back.  Originally, the trip was purposed to look for houses to buy, but once we decided to rent, it turned into a pleasure trip. It was interesting to think about.  There will be no more 2 weeks stays at my folks.  Instead, we'll be seeing them [most likely] once a week and have an overnight every now and again, but no more solid-time visits.  I think we may have to institute a summer and winter "trip".  Maybe just 3 or 4 days, but I love the concentrated time down there and I don't want to loose it!

The weather was beautiful, as always it seems.  We had a few days where we were all in t-shirts or at the least, no sweat shirts.  We also had some wonderfully cozy days inside with hot cocoa and a fire while the snow fell softly.  We built a fire outside one beautiful afternoon, and went sledding one snowy morning.  The boys had fun in my mom's art studio/work room, and I enjoyed their dry-sauna as much as I could.  We watched movies on their nicely sized TV, had lots of stories read, and we saw friends and family when we could.  We walked (anywhere between 4 and 7 miles) on as many days as the weather allowed, we hiked behind Garden of the Gods, and we made a trip to Manitou Springs as well as Denver.  It was a fabulous trip.

While there, though, I realized I had less than 3 months left here!  That totally freaked me out.  It was a lot longer in my mind, and I know it'll be here before I know it and I'm just not ready.  As much as I'm going to love going home, I don't even want to thank about leaving here.  Not yet, anyway.

Enough with that, though.  Here are just a few picture from our trip.  The rest of the pictures are here.