Birdie told me her first story the other day. Yes, if you can play charades, you could have understood it too. Her friend, Beau, had been gone for a few weeks to see his Navy dad in San Diego but he was back on Sunday. Before he left, the childcare worker for the fitness ministry who has kept both of them since they were just weeks old, told me that Beau was getting rougher but Birdie was holding her own with him. On the car ride home from church, I said, "Oh! Beau was back today. Did you see Beau?" She nodded and said, "Beau." I asked, "Did you have fun playing with Beau?" She got a horrible little thinking look on her face and then dramatically reached up and pulled her own tussled ponytail and said, "Oww!" I asked, "Oh, did Beau pull your hair?" She nodded yes. It's not coming through as convincing as it was in the car but I feel quite confident I know what happened in Sunday School. :)
Let me throw down my usual disclaimer: Some of you work in schools, some of you have school-agers, I, however, am going through all of this for the first time in a loooong time with Beatle. So far this year, I have packed a lunch for her every day. It's not anything I'm doing for any particular reason besides I just haven't paid the lunch lady yet. Plus, I just find it a little expensive. Beatle's told me she can just go get milk so I don't always pack a drink. (Silly me, I just thought that it was part of some Obama-initiative for all children to have access to a serving of milk a day. We do lots of other weird things for people so I didn't know!) She hopped in the car on Monday and said, "I got stopped by the lunch lady today. She said I couldn't have any more milk until you send some milk money. But, (in her most honest voice!) I told her that my mom doesn't have money for milk and she let me take one anyway." Sometimes, I get so convicted about being such a cheapskate and talking openly about how "Dad doesn't get paid until the end of the week so we don't have a lot of extra money" or other similar conversations! Shame on me! And, the funny thing is, just earlier that day, I had a conversation with the counselor about doing our part to help some families through hard times; if the lunch lady went to the counselor to talk about Beatle's situation, they must have been really confused!
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Monday, September 26, 2011
Hot, hot, hot...96.2much2soon
Beatle's grounded. On this quest of trying to raise our girls to have a close relationship with the Lord but to not be total dorks, we still have to draw the line somewhere. If you recollect, this time last year we had a 60th birthday bash for my dad complete with a karaoke machine that the kids totally hijacked and no one really got to experience the full glory of a night serenaded by me. Anywhoo, there were some questionable songs sang by young cousins and thankfully Beatle knew none of them. But my, how a year has changed things. A recent uncomfortable moment for me was when Beatle busted out in the lyrics, "skinny-dipping in the dark" sitting between a set of grandparents. I'm putting it all out there when I say that KLOVE is very repetitive and kind of lame. It has it's place--it's positive, encouraging, easy listening. :) Beatle and I like to get funky. She's a dancer; she's gotta move. Somehow Top 40 has infiltrated our lives slowly but surely--through the car, gymnastics, stores, etc. And while the beats are great and the hooks are catchy, it's not the stuff that should be filling my mind and definitely not my 6-year-old. Beatle acts like our local station, Hot 96.7, pays her to promote it. I hear her talk about it, ask me to change the station to it, and wonder aloud if we will listen to it in the car about 10 times a day. It's gotten to be overkill so in a lesson of discipline she's not allowed to listen to it for 2 days. Meanwhile, Brent and I are on a quest to introduce her to the great CDs we loved and new ones that send the positive messages we want her to be singing.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Gender Bender
There are three moments in my life where my gender has come in to question--once when I was about 4 and my cousin with flowing locks and ornate bows made me doubt my new 'do because apparently I was a boy since my hair was cut short. The second time, I was 11 and on vacation with my family, wearing red shorts with a nautical striped red and white shirt and chin-length hair that was still wet from the pool. I was crushed when the waitress asked, "And what would you like to drink, sir?" Seriously, that was one of the most deflating moments of my life, to which, my dad still laughs his big laugh about. And the third one happened yesterday. Yes, even after puberty, marriage and two children, I still felt the sting when a 9-year-old boy (who, mind you, still screams better than most girls) called me "dude" and when I answered his questions and then added before turning on my heels, "And, by the way, I'm not a dude." He yelled out, I'm guessing to get the approval of the other boys he was with, "Well, you look like a dude with your haircut." I'm not a very mature person but I did exercise restraint because all I wanted to do was turn around, charge him and bend him into a pretzel when I got my hands on him. I did come back after I cooled down and made him apologize for his comment--that's the great part about being an adult. Beatle's been dying to grow her hair out like "all" the other girls but neither of us are very consistent about fixing it so it looks wild a lot. I think she looks darling with short hair but I guess yesterday was a reminder to be understanding with gender identity. If she feels like she looks more like a girl with longer hair, then so be it. We just need to be more disciplined with grooming it!
Pretty much everyone knows the rule: If your whole name is used, then you are in serious trouble. We go around saying, "Charlotte Odessa!" multiple times a day. The other day, Beatle and I were bantering and, exasperated, she exclaimed,"Momma Odessa!" That was a first! I must have been in REAL SERIOUS trouble when someone else's middle name was used!
Brent and I had somehow switched sides of the bed sometime back and I've been sleeping closest to the door; I think it had to do with me getting up with Birdie to feed her in the middle of the night. Anyways, I watch a lot of crime shows and, being the man, I think he should sleep closest to the door! (I'm twisted and think WAY too much about exit strategies, reactions during crisis situations, etc!) The other night, I petitioned the change and the new policy went into affect until he got up to use the restroom and came back to bed and flopped down right down on top of me!! The sad part is, I was so tired that I just barely remembered it when he brought it up the next morning at breakfast. We had a good laugh about the whole thing. I kind of have a feeling that if there is an intruder no matter what side of the bed I'm on, as heavy as I sleep, I'll be toast!
Pretty much everyone knows the rule: If your whole name is used, then you are in serious trouble. We go around saying, "Charlotte Odessa!" multiple times a day. The other day, Beatle and I were bantering and, exasperated, she exclaimed,"Momma Odessa!" That was a first! I must have been in REAL SERIOUS trouble when someone else's middle name was used!
Brent and I had somehow switched sides of the bed sometime back and I've been sleeping closest to the door; I think it had to do with me getting up with Birdie to feed her in the middle of the night. Anyways, I watch a lot of crime shows and, being the man, I think he should sleep closest to the door! (I'm twisted and think WAY too much about exit strategies, reactions during crisis situations, etc!) The other night, I petitioned the change and the new policy went into affect until he got up to use the restroom and came back to bed and flopped down right down on top of me!! The sad part is, I was so tired that I just barely remembered it when he brought it up the next morning at breakfast. We had a good laugh about the whole thing. I kind of have a feeling that if there is an intruder no matter what side of the bed I'm on, as heavy as I sleep, I'll be toast!
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Reading, Wrecks and Really, Probably Too Much Info
The division between the "haves" and the "have nots" is growing wider at the Roberts' house. I thought it was just coincidence until she started pointing and saying it EVERY time. Now, when I change shirts and it's just me in all my glory, Birdie points at me and says, "Boobers!" I was telling BR and Beatle this at dinner tonight on the back porch and they wanted to do an experiment, so I stepped inside, where no one could see me but Birdie and flashed her (Really...it's best not to just pop by on us. I'd always call first!) :) Of course, she did it again. We laughed and laughed. Then, when Beatle asked, "Lottie, do I have boobers?" and lifted her shirt, Birdie crinkled her nose and shook a disgusted "no". TMI, no?
The monkey has assumed the position on my back again and the thing has returned to my chest. We got a letter yesterday that, based on some testing, Beatle is reading at a Kindergarten level. Oh, but if that's not enough of an insult, they chart it by months too. She's reading like a Kindergartener would in their third month of school. Awesome. And a handy little note at the bottom stating, "It's very important to read to Brendle every night." Brent and I both reached our new height of desperation after that letter. I wanted to cram every book we've ever read to her up someone's po-po. My first instinct was to quit--pull her out of school, hide, homeschool, whatever! Then I realized that wasn't a logical idea because I'm SOO not qualified/gifted/patient in that area. Brent's contribution was to throw her in a private, unaccredited Christian school in town and we would hope she blended in on the Island of Misfit Toys. Honestly, at this point, we've resolved to try to blitz it this year. We have an AMAZING first grade teacher, get her some tutoring and we're going to ride Beatle like a Grand Canyon donkey in one of those scenic tours. If she hates school by the end of first grade, she hates it but Brent and I don't feel like we're afforded the luxury of any other way. This may pass and in a few years, I hope I don't remember what a struggle this was for her or the stress Brent and I feel as parents. Or, it may be her life-long reality and I don't know anyone better than Brent who can model that for her--she can have what she wants but she's got to be willing to work 5 times as hard as everyone else in her class. Flat out, I don't get it...we have video of me coming home from the 1st grade doing homework and that consisted of me writing my name 10 times and I swear to you, Beatle has kids in her class reading Diary of a Wimpy Kid chapter books. Like other jealous parents, I was joking with Beatle when she told me what her classmates were reading and we had each other cracking up. "Whoa, Zach...slow down. What's the rush? You have your whole life to read. Pace yourself, my friend." We have to find humor in this situation or I think we'd all cry.
BR got into a wreck last week. He is fine--thank the Lord! He was in his jeep and an old lady ran a stop sign and hit him. When I pulled up to the scene, I didn't know whose fault it was but assumed it was Brent's because of the way everyone was acting. But no, it turns out you can drive like a bat outta hell but if you have a disabled tag and Jesus stickers all over your car people will be taking pity on you and fetching you glasses of water while you sit in your car like YOU'VE been offended. It was quite hilarious since everyone was ok. Brent wanted to just yell, "Wait a minute...She hit ME!" We got the report today and she was born during WWI. Yes, she is 95 years old and will go to the grave denying that she ran that stop sign.
On the heels of the story above, I'm willing to admit we've been pretty stressed in the last week about the whole situation--the money to fix the jeep, having only one vehicle for now, etc. Like I told my mom today, as Christians we talk about being dependent on Christ, but let's face it--who wants to have their backs to the wall so much that we HAVE to depend on Christ? I like to feel a little more self-sufficient than that. We had some real tight-squeezes in Seminary and when we moved to HS but I resolved to never (if it all possible!) let us get that vulnerable financially. When the accident happened, I remained steadily calm and relatively positive about the whole thing; I just felt that we were being attacked or tested (I still haven't figured out how all that works) this past month and, either way, something spiritual was going on and parlaying its way into the physical. That being said, I let doubt creep in today and started really getting worked up about some of our struggles. But tonight, when Brent was doing budget, we found a check from our mortgage company and that our mortgage was also being dropped $30 a month because we no longer needed to pay our mortgage insurance. I'm so humbled right now; that was enough to know He's in control. I don't know why I don't think He can do things like that or why I don't feel like He's in control! He is! He cares! I serve a God that stopped the sun in the sky so Israel could win a battle and He could have the victory. I only hope I give him the victory and add this to my arsenal when future doubt starts in.
The monkey has assumed the position on my back again and the thing has returned to my chest. We got a letter yesterday that, based on some testing, Beatle is reading at a Kindergarten level. Oh, but if that's not enough of an insult, they chart it by months too. She's reading like a Kindergartener would in their third month of school. Awesome. And a handy little note at the bottom stating, "It's very important to read to Brendle every night." Brent and I both reached our new height of desperation after that letter. I wanted to cram every book we've ever read to her up someone's po-po. My first instinct was to quit--pull her out of school, hide, homeschool, whatever! Then I realized that wasn't a logical idea because I'm SOO not qualified/gifted/patient in that area. Brent's contribution was to throw her in a private, unaccredited Christian school in town and we would hope she blended in on the Island of Misfit Toys. Honestly, at this point, we've resolved to try to blitz it this year. We have an AMAZING first grade teacher, get her some tutoring and we're going to ride Beatle like a Grand Canyon donkey in one of those scenic tours. If she hates school by the end of first grade, she hates it but Brent and I don't feel like we're afforded the luxury of any other way. This may pass and in a few years, I hope I don't remember what a struggle this was for her or the stress Brent and I feel as parents. Or, it may be her life-long reality and I don't know anyone better than Brent who can model that for her--she can have what she wants but she's got to be willing to work 5 times as hard as everyone else in her class. Flat out, I don't get it...we have video of me coming home from the 1st grade doing homework and that consisted of me writing my name 10 times and I swear to you, Beatle has kids in her class reading Diary of a Wimpy Kid chapter books. Like other jealous parents, I was joking with Beatle when she told me what her classmates were reading and we had each other cracking up. "Whoa, Zach...slow down. What's the rush? You have your whole life to read. Pace yourself, my friend." We have to find humor in this situation or I think we'd all cry.
BR got into a wreck last week. He is fine--thank the Lord! He was in his jeep and an old lady ran a stop sign and hit him. When I pulled up to the scene, I didn't know whose fault it was but assumed it was Brent's because of the way everyone was acting. But no, it turns out you can drive like a bat outta hell but if you have a disabled tag and Jesus stickers all over your car people will be taking pity on you and fetching you glasses of water while you sit in your car like YOU'VE been offended. It was quite hilarious since everyone was ok. Brent wanted to just yell, "Wait a minute...She hit ME!" We got the report today and she was born during WWI. Yes, she is 95 years old and will go to the grave denying that she ran that stop sign.
On the heels of the story above, I'm willing to admit we've been pretty stressed in the last week about the whole situation--the money to fix the jeep, having only one vehicle for now, etc. Like I told my mom today, as Christians we talk about being dependent on Christ, but let's face it--who wants to have their backs to the wall so much that we HAVE to depend on Christ? I like to feel a little more self-sufficient than that. We had some real tight-squeezes in Seminary and when we moved to HS but I resolved to never (if it all possible!) let us get that vulnerable financially. When the accident happened, I remained steadily calm and relatively positive about the whole thing; I just felt that we were being attacked or tested (I still haven't figured out how all that works) this past month and, either way, something spiritual was going on and parlaying its way into the physical. That being said, I let doubt creep in today and started really getting worked up about some of our struggles. But tonight, when Brent was doing budget, we found a check from our mortgage company and that our mortgage was also being dropped $30 a month because we no longer needed to pay our mortgage insurance. I'm so humbled right now; that was enough to know He's in control. I don't know why I don't think He can do things like that or why I don't feel like He's in control! He is! He cares! I serve a God that stopped the sun in the sky so Israel could win a battle and He could have the victory. I only hope I give him the victory and add this to my arsenal when future doubt starts in.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
That's it! I quit!
I put in my two weeks notice to Brent. He said it would take a little longer to find another wife and mother. Although it means nothing, it was sure nice to feel like I held some cards for those few seconds after I announced that I quit. Birdie is at the age where I'd like to drop her off somewhere for several hours and laugh a little laugh as I left with the words, "good luck!" hanging in the room behind me. This age is the reason MOPS groups and mother's day outs were created! She's a busy little birdie. And while I drop her off at nursery, I'm off to teach a class of 3-year-olds or go workout...not exactly a cake walk. Last Thursday, I went to the church office to fax some stuff and found out I was there just in time for FBC Preschool's chapel service so Birdie and I went down to support Brent. It was wild watching them file in, knowing that as early as next year, after I send Birdie to school, I can FINALLY lay around smoking cigarettes and watching soaps all day! Haha! Brent seemed to have some other ideas of what I'll be doing...silly boy.
Friday night we had all my old co-workers and their families over. I miss them! It's crazy to think that you spend so much time with these people and then, nothing. We had a great time catching up!
Beatle started playing the violin. Our church is offering free lessons and a free violin to use for a semester as she practices. Her best friend's dad says that they could get a better sound from twisting a cat. Haha! But, she sure is excited. When I see her walking around, carrying that violin case, her purple glasses on, shoes on the wrong feet, wild clothes on that she picked out herself, and a big toothless smile, I can't help but think that if I were 6-years-old too, Bailey would have some serious competition for a best friend. :)
Friday night we had all my old co-workers and their families over. I miss them! It's crazy to think that you spend so much time with these people and then, nothing. We had a great time catching up!
Beatle started playing the violin. Our church is offering free lessons and a free violin to use for a semester as she practices. Her best friend's dad says that they could get a better sound from twisting a cat. Haha! But, she sure is excited. When I see her walking around, carrying that violin case, her purple glasses on, shoes on the wrong feet, wild clothes on that she picked out herself, and a big toothless smile, I can't help but think that if I were 6-years-old too, Bailey would have some serious competition for a best friend. :)
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Labor Day: It's the Stuff Dreams are Made Of
My new favorite holiday is....drumroll....wait for it, people....LABOR DAY! Ok, it really can't compete with the other big ones but we have had the most amazing Labor Days for the last few years. They are chalked to the brim with memories and family time. Two years ago, we went to see friends in Florida and were at Disney on Labor Day, coincidentally, with my parents--total God thing! And a day in history that will go down as perfect. Last year, we had our yard sale and I remember looking through our front door to the yard and seeing Birdie on Brent's back in a backpack and Beatle playing in the front yard, thinking, "Man, we're a cool family. I'd like to be our friends." :) And then this year, we had Brent's family in town for another great weekend--lots of fun there. We practically begged them not to leave a day early but they wanted some time before they jumped back in to their respective jobs and I get that. But oh, the magic Monday held. We loaded up the jeep in the newly crisp air and took some untraveled backroads, complete with clothes on the line, and BR took us fishing to an overstocked pond and we were pulling in catfish left and right. It was crazy! In about the last 20 years, I've never had fun fishing until yesterday broke that dry spell. Beatle caught, arguably, the two biggest of the day. She had so much fun doing that! Her first fish! Birdie had a good time tottering around and pooping in the wild outdoors. Why nature calls for both girls when we're in the middle of no where, I'll never know! But I came prepared with wet wipes and sanitizer. It was cute seeing Birdie make her fish imitation and ask BR for "More, peeeaaas!" She wanted her daddy to catch one more fish and lo and behold, Beatle caught another one. Beatle loved reeling them in but didn't want to have anything to do with them once they were on shore. I've got a picture of her making a "TaDa" geasture to a fish lying in the grass about 4 feet away. Haha! I decided I wanted to try my hand while BR and Beatle were going to try to start cleaning the fish. I caught a small catfish and was trying to get their attention across the way and was whoopin and hollerin, waving my fish around and accidentally slapped Birdie right in the face with it. Haha! Poor thing. We ran to take the new fish over to them and then, three sets of wide eyes watched in horror as the gentlest man we've ever known mutilated a live fish. He was trying to clean it but it had been awhile and I'm sure an audience didn't make it any easier on him. We came home and the girls napped while BR finished cleaning the fish and then we went to Magic Springs for the last day the water park was open. No one was there because of the weather change and Beatle got to run up and ride everything she wanted to, thanks to short lines and a recent growth spurt. The day ended with fireworks and a contented family, knowing they could hang their hat on another perfect Labor Day.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Living the Dream
To my adoring public,
I apologize for my blogging absence! We have had some technical difficulties around the Roberts' house. But, on the flip-side, I have many wonderful things to blog about.
I did it! About a week ago, Brent and I went to Dallas for me to attend a conference so I could get my group fitness certification! I passed my test and am now teaching a running class with a kickboxing class on the horizon. The morning of us leaving, I was waking the girls up and before Beatle's eyes were even open, she sleepily mumbled, "Mom, i'm glad you're doing your dream." her thoughtfulness is so touching. Honestly, I'm doing a lot of this for her. It's not fair for me to not set a good example and then expect her to break the cycle of being overweight.
The other night, we were reading Bibles in bed and Beatle saw a picture of Biblical patriarch holding tablets in hers and said, "who's this?" and I said, "you know!" and she said, "oh, Noah." and I said, "noooo...he was the prince of Egypt, parted the Red Sea (could tell it was still not ringing a bell)...rhymes with roses." "oh! Noses!" at that moment, I realized we still have some more ground to cover. Haha!
Birdie and I started going to Toddler Time at the library and there's already a Charlotte there so we're going by Lottie. We can't catch a break in this town with these names!
It's getting kind of late but, I promise I will blog again soon. Don't give up on me! :)
I apologize for my blogging absence! We have had some technical difficulties around the Roberts' house. But, on the flip-side, I have many wonderful things to blog about.
I did it! About a week ago, Brent and I went to Dallas for me to attend a conference so I could get my group fitness certification! I passed my test and am now teaching a running class with a kickboxing class on the horizon. The morning of us leaving, I was waking the girls up and before Beatle's eyes were even open, she sleepily mumbled, "Mom, i'm glad you're doing your dream." her thoughtfulness is so touching. Honestly, I'm doing a lot of this for her. It's not fair for me to not set a good example and then expect her to break the cycle of being overweight.
The other night, we were reading Bibles in bed and Beatle saw a picture of Biblical patriarch holding tablets in hers and said, "who's this?" and I said, "you know!" and she said, "oh, Noah." and I said, "noooo...he was the prince of Egypt, parted the Red Sea (could tell it was still not ringing a bell)...rhymes with roses." "oh! Noses!" at that moment, I realized we still have some more ground to cover. Haha!
Birdie and I started going to Toddler Time at the library and there's already a Charlotte there so we're going by Lottie. We can't catch a break in this town with these names!
It's getting kind of late but, I promise I will blog again soon. Don't give up on me! :)
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