Transition

Hi Everybody!

I've decided to combine the family updates and my photography blog into one page.  This transition represents the idea that the heart and soul of my photography are at home...and that not only friends and family can enjoy...but now my clients!

Bookmark the new site:

www.gaylerphotography.wordpress.com

Thank you for your continued support!

-Julie

Technological Mystery

We have a whole drawer FULL of batteries...right now, at least.  I am truly an optimist, but I have a huge exception when it comes to batteries.  I know we do not have enough batteries for the next item that will require new ones.

For example, there are NEVER enough AA's.  Ever.  Did you know that every device in your house will use AA's?  And even though you bought the biggest pack at the store the last time you were there, you will only have 3 AA's when you need 4?!

Second on the list to disappear when needed are D's.  The reason for that has to be that they are the most expensive!  Ha.  Also, they power the baby swing...which is very necessary at this moment in time!

However, I've known all about needing 800 packs (instead of the traditional 8 pack) of AA batteries for quite some time.

What truly mystifies me are the batteries in this toy.



It was my cousin's toy.  It vibrates along the ground with some sort of motor and also plays annoying music.  Did I mention my cousin is now TEN?  (Or that the music is very annoying?).

And this toy is on its ORIGINAL batteries.

We were given this toy when Ian was 6 months old.  He played with it almost daily for quite some time...and Zoe played with it  for quite some time.  And, I pulled it out for Eli and it's STILL working, with no signs of a waning battery life.

It will always remain a mystery to me why such a toy can last forever on the same power source....when other similar and useful contraptions go through batteries faster than (insert witty analogy here).

For another example, how about my cell phone?  It will beep a low battery "beep" many, many times over the course of several minutes when I'm making a casual chit-chatty phone call...but just before I get the directions for which way to turn next...beep...CLICK!

Will this technological mystery ever be solved?

I wish I could tell you to stay tuned for the answer, but it seems this is something out of science fiction.  I'm at least thankful that I don't require batteries...because I'm sure I would never have the right kind, or forget to charge my spare.

He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.                               - Isaiah 40:29

I am glad God offers to recharge me.  He's way better than these crazy batteries I can't figure out! :)

Humor

I am watching something grow.  (And I'm not talking about Matt's garden...which is REALLY growing).

Ian's humor is growing!



When he was a baby, he thought raspberries and silly noises were funny.  (Ok he still does, but work with me here!).

The next step was making his own raspberries and silly noises.  (Maybe I should have specified that his humor is growing larger, not that he's actually growing out of anything, ha!).



Skip a couple of steps (since apparently I blinked my eyes at some point during this progression)...and now he is making his own jokes!



I overhear him belly laughing as he jokes with Eli.

"Eli, guess what!  BANANA PANTS!  That's so funny!  Bananas don't wear pants!  Ha!  Ha!  Ha!  Guess what now?  COUCH PANTS!  Hahaha!  Window PANTS!  Table PANTS!  Head PANTS!  Hahaha!  That's funny, isn't it, Eli?!"

I can't help but crack up myself, because he is laughing SO hard at his own jokes!  (And encouraged by Eli's wide open mouth smiles).

"PILLOW PANTS!  On my HEAD!"



I love Ian's sense of humor! :)

Fun Fri--I mean Saturday Night!

My intent was to keep adding to this post throughout the week and post it Friday.  But, Friday night sped past in a blur!  I had my first real photo shoot in a while.  It was so much fun!

Anyway, this week has been so full of funnies...I wish I could have remembered them all.  Here's a couple that I managed to get down before they fled my brain!

- Zoe got water all over herself (from attempting to fill a cup on the in-fridge thingy). She asked, "Take shirt off? It's wet!" So, I did. Then, we realized her skirt was wet too. So, there stood Zoe in just a diaper. She looked at me and smiled. Next thing I know, she's running around the house wildly shouting, "I'm FREE! I'm FREE!"

- Ian asked me for some money. I told him he had to get a job for money. He said he didn't want a job, just money. I told him I didn't have any money. He replied, "Yes you do. I KNOW you have money!"

- Zoe wanted to talk to my friend on the phone. My friend asked Zoe, "Will you buy me a car?" Zoe replied, "Nope," and stared quizzically at the phone for a minute. She furrowed her brow and handed it back. "Bye. Nope."

- I gave Ian a cookie while he was playing with some toys. He put it aside on a table. "I'm putting my cookie right here, Mom. That way, you can't squish it. You can go arounnnnnd my cookie. Just like I go arounnnnnd the garden and DON'T SQUISH IT." (He was very emphatic the second time about not squishing it. I guess Daddy has really driven this point home!).  :)

I Need My Thesaurus

Why? Because I need words to describe lunch.



Matt called it, "Baked cod with a pineapple sauce over a bed of yellow rice, peas, and fresh spinach flanked by plantains cooked in honey butter."

Did I forget to mention that he (my husband!) made this? In our kitchen! He created not only this delectable meal, but a whole host of delightful smells that filled the entire house.

One day earlier in the month, he ordered a meal similar to this one. He decided that it was amazing, and that we should have it at home! This isn't the first time he has performed this feat. The "famous" potato soup was another recipe that he copied and then took to a whole new level. Matt now eats something and runs online to find the recipe...and makes it even more amazing and spectacular.

I could use the thesaurus to find more descriptive words. For in front of me was an intricate layer of flavors on a plate. I know a food critic somewhere could probably sum it up in ways that would make your mouth water. However, I have a camera...and the word, "Delicious."

That is what I declare this meal.



But I don't need a thesaurus to tell you how much I enjoyed this amazing creative meal, and how much I love and am thankful for the man that put it together. :)

Sitting Still...

...it's something Zoe doesn't do very much.

But, wave a hairbrush in her general direction, and she will. Sit. Still.

So I enjoyed the fact that she has enough hair to braid!



Hmmm. Somehow I will have to use this knowledge to my advantage. Maybe the next time she's too wiggly, we'll try another kind of elaborate hairstyle. :)

Who Has More Fun?

Ian got two super cool building sets for his birthday. They are called Trio blocks. I don't even know how to explain what they are like...because they are very unique. Hopefully the pictures will give you an idea! The coolest part about them is all of the different styles of pieces. They allow for some very creative building. And Ian can easily snap them together and take them apart.



Did I say Ian? I meant Daddy.



He began by merging the sets, and coming up with this super cool bad boy.



Next thing I know, I'm hearing a flurry of snapping, and Daddy saying, "Dude. This is SO cool!" Immediately after that, sound effects of a battle coming from both sides of the table. So I head over to check it out.

"What are you guys building now?" I asked.

Matt excitedly points out the newest creation, "CHECK this OUT! This is a machine gun. Belt-fed, baby."



Thanks, Grandma & Grandpa...Matt is having just as much fun with the building set !



Pow! Pow! Pow! :)

Ian Helps with the Laundry

So there I was...in the middle of a cleaning whirlwind. I promised Ian I would play farm with him, so I took a little break when I heard a noise that begged immediate attention.

UGH. The rugs in the washer were unbalanced and making the washer "walk" across the floor. Clang! Clang! Clang! Noooo! The babies are sleeping!

Ian laughed as I returned the washing machine back to its place, "Haha. Mom, that's so funny. The washing ah-chine was dancing."

I was not as amused at the moment, "Yeah sort of...only it's not allowed to dance in the laundry room."

Not to be put aside so easily, he reminds me, "Well where can it dance? It goes in the laundry room."

True. ANYWAY..."Ok, Ian. Let's go back to play farm! Ian?" He had disappeared in the other room already. The machine begins clanking once more.

There's Ian right behind me. "Uh oh. The washing ah-chine is dancing again."

Now I jump up to sit on the top of the washer and the clanking stops. Here I must remain until the cycle is over. Farm will have to wait for a few minutes. Ian had run out of the room again once he saw me hop on the washing machine. I figured he would play by himself for a few minutes. But, he returned with an animal for each of us.

"Mom," he began with that look that you just can't deny, "Can I play farm up there?" Sure. Why not?

I decided to clean the laundry room floor while he was so happily amused at sitting on the washer as it shook away, but didn't dance (since Ian was helping weigh it down!).

As I gathered the mop and broom from the kitchen, I overheard this conversation between animals:



Pig: "Hey, ladybug."
Ladybug: "Hey pig. What's shakin'?

Ian: "Mom! This is so funny. He said, 'What's shakin'!' Ha! Ha! I'm so funny!"



Not only is he funny, but his new play spot allowed me to completely clean the laundry room. It's nice to have help. :)

LOL

I sit here typing LOL so I don't wake up the baby by actually laughing. Until, I ROFL and chuckle a little. Then, I get to the point of ROFLMBO! And I think...

It all began with LOL. Laugh Out Loud!

Then people started typing "lol" when they weren't laughing out loud. They were really only laughing in their heads.

The sensible thing to do would be to type, Laughing In My Head (LIMH), but that is just too boring.

Now what?!

To prove that something could be funnier than (virtually) laughing out loud, what about a slap on the knees? LSMK (Laughing and Slapping My Knees). Hmm, I guess it's just not as catchy!

Or, LAS. (Laughing and Snorting). Nope, way too embarrassing!

Aha! Rolling On the Floor Laughing. (ROFL).

What could be funnier than falling out of your chair and laughing on the floor?! You guessed it...Rolling On the Floor Laughing My Butt Off. (ROFLMBO).

Are we actually laughing hard enough to lose body parts?! (Virtually, of course).

What on earth could possibly come next? Clearly, we need more acronyms to express the escalating hilarity of virtual laughing!

I hope this made you LOL...literally! :)

He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy. - Job 8:21

P.S. One possible suggestion from a friend? ROFLSHMFFOKWMF. (Rolling on Floor Laughing So Hard My Face Fell Off and I Kicked it With My Foot). Ha! Try typing that while you are laughing that hard, would ya!? :)

Brush, Brush, Brush!

Look out! Zoe has a hairbrush!

She's not afraid to use it, either...

She does a pretty good job, when she watches what she's doing. Otherwise, she's looking around and smiling at all the attention she's getting and ends up yanking hair out of my head.

At dinner one night a couple weeks ago, she ran to find one of her Little People toys and stood her up on the play kitchen sink. Next, she got her hair brush and detangling spray. We all laughed as she pushed the spray bottle on the Little People princess' head, and "brushed" her hard plastic molded hair. "Pretty! Bootiful!" she proclaimed.

For the grand finale, she primped her own hair in front of the sink and twirled around with a pleased smirk.

"I brush, brush, brush!" :)

Checking Pockets!

His pants have pockets, and there's always something in them! He has been remembering to take out his little treasures when he gets undressed...with a couple of exceptions this week.

There's a little seashell that somehow he has kept track of since our last trip to the beach (when I was still pregnant with Eli!). He has been asking me where it went. I LOVE that he has a little reminder from such wonderful times!

The phone...I can hardly believe that it STILL works! I was transferring the load of clothes from the washer to the dryer and kept hearing a ringing sound. Why can't they make adult phones this resilient?!

At any rate, I guess I'll have to remember to check his pockets more often. Who knows what treasure is going to pop up next! :)

Pajama Party

Last night, we had a pajama party! After playing out in the yard and running through the sprinklers, we changed into pajamas. The little people weren't too enthused about this. Their bedtime routine is SO predictable, they know that right after pajamas comes and book and sleep. It was humorous to see the surprise on their faces when I prefaced getting dressed by saying, "Ok, we're putting on pajamas, but we're NOT going to bed just yet. We're having a pajama PARTY!"

Zoe accepted this by spinning around in circles yelling, "Party! Party! Party!" She then commenced running through the entire house yelling the same.

Ian was a little more skeptical. "A party?" he questioned me while slowly putting on his pajamas. "Yes, Ian. We're going to have a pajama party and stay up a little bit after dinner!" His eyes still lingered with doubt, "Really? A party?" I nodded and he rushed over to me, nearly knocking me down with excitement. "Oh Mom! I love you for that! Parties are fun!"

He walked out of the room, looking around expectantly for a party to pop out of the walls. "Mom, where is the party?"

"The party is here, Ian." I reminded him.

"Where? I don't see a party."

It's a good thing that dinner was first on the agenda. It gave me more thinking time of how I was going to make this party more convincing. I headed over to prepare the mashed potatoes.

"Mom," a still skeptical little boy tugged on the leg of my pajamas, "Potatoes are not for parties."

Think Julie, think!

"Well there are all sorts of parties and all sorts of food to eat at parties. Some parties, they eat cookies and cupcakes, and some they eat broccoli and soybeans. Oh. And potatoes."

Ha! I told him! Mash. Mash. Mash.

"Um. No, Mom. This is a FUN party."

I think to myself and laugh. "Fun? Who said anything about fun!? I just said it was a pajama party! Goodness, kids these days!"

"You're right, Ian! We're making FUN, PARTY potatoes!"

Why must children look so convinced when you have your very best ideas?!

"Mom, those don't look like party potatoes."

Ack! This kid is too smart for me. What do party potatoes look like, anyway? Sprinkles? No, would taste funny. Oooh. Food coloring! Isn't this great? I'm a big believer in limiting preservatives, dyes, and additives to food. Yet, let's put dye in the potatoes for this party! Woohoo! Oh well, I'll forgive myself this transgression until I stock up on some beet juice or something.

"They are going to be some fun party potatoes, just wait and see!"

Ian wolfed down those fun party potatoes. He said they were the best ones "every time" (which is currently his way of saying "forever").

Next, we watched a Muppets movie and ate popcorn. This was definitely more acceptable party fun in Ian's opinion! It was a great night, and I'm looking forward to more of them in the future! :)

Yummy!

So, I wrote a post earlier about Zoe...and how much she loves to eat. That will be today's theme. Kinda.

You see, I thought parents that said, "I want to just EAT HIM UP with a spoon!" were insane. Seriously, who talks about eating their children?!

Hi, my name is Julie. I want to eat Eli's face.

And Zoe's.

When I tell her, "Zoe, I'm going to eat your face." She charges me, putting her face mere millimeters from mine, and goes, "NOM. NOM. NOM! I eat YOUR face. HAHA! I eat YOU, MOMMY!"

I want to eat Ian's face too.

He tells me, "You can't eat my face. Eating peoples is not nice mom. Only food."

Yes, Ian is right. I do not ACTUALLY want to eat my children. That is seriously repugnant and evil. I just don't know how else to relate my feelings of love for their overwhelming cuteness! Just to make sure nobody doubts it for even a second!

I can't wait for my sister to have kids. I am so excited to be THAT AUNT that pinches cheeks. Oooh! So fun! :)

Look Mom, No Spoon!

Zoe's favorite snack has always been yogurt. Hmm. Wait, maybe it's fruit. I'm not really sure what her favorite snack is...especially since when you ask her, the answer will invariably be the food that is in front of her. You see, Zoe likes to eat! Anything and everything! (Just about).

I guess I never blogged about the time she ate 3 slices of pickled jalepenos with Carrie...straight out of the jar! She picked up the 4th and decided that 3 was enough. But there were no faces, and oddly enough no (ahem) after effects.

At any rate, we were talking about yogurt! If it's not her favorite, it's at least one of her favorites. Just like a cat or dog come running when they hear the can opener to their favorite can of food, Zoe comes running when she hears the "snap" of the yogurt containers being split apart. It's pretty funny, we should get it on video.

Zoe DEVOURS yogurt. No. INHALES yogurt. She started out eating it like this. Two spoons!

And somehow, her eating has grown into looking more like this. No spoons.

She sticks her hand in the container and then stuffs her whole hand in her mouth. Then, she squishes the container on her face in an attempt to get all the yogurt out. Every. Last. Drop.

Ok, we have to get back to work on using utensils to eat. Zoe, use at least one spoon. :)

Eli Shares His Toys!

We are starting on this sharing thing early with Eli. Although technically, all 3 of them have called this their own at one point. Hm. Wonder if all 3 of them could even fit under there! :)

ELI is TWO MONTHS Old!

We measured Eli last week when he turned 2 months old! He was 12 pounds 11 oz. I still need to get his length measurements, but figured I should probably blog what I have on my mind while it's still there!

- He is wearing size 3 months clothes, but a few 6 month sizes because of the cloth diaper fluffiness.

- Eli's routine has become more predictable. He usually takes 3 distinct naps a day, and sleeps from 11:30pm to 4:14am almost every day!

- He LOVES his swing. In fact, Eli loves to be moving at all times. It's not that he is particularly wiggly, he just likes whoever or whatever is holding him to be in motion.

- Favorite toy is by far the giraffe toy. It must be perfectly designed for babies...all of them loved that toy!

- His smiles are coming more and more often! Guaranteed to get him a smile are brother's smiling at him, and Zoe making him clap his hands.

- We've heard his little baby chuckles a few times. They are so cute...and we haven't quite figured out what makes him laugh...he seems to be very easily amused at all sorts of random things!

- He's an amazing car traveler! He sleeps and sleeps or sits quietly staring. We didn't have to stop many times on the trip from Beaufort to here, and I'm very thankful!

- Eli loves to know that Mommy is nearby. He is very attached to me, and it's kind of flattering to be his favorite person. :)

- Little coos are being heard more and more as he's figuring out how to "talk" to us. He likes to talk most in the mornings.

- His cries are extremely distinctive now to my ears. Unfortunately, he has been having some fussy spells between 7 and 10pm on occasion. I think it's been very uncomfortable gas. We can hear and feel his poor little tummy working over time on something! Praying for this phase to pass quickly!

- Tiny little fingers are grabbing and holding on to me or his blanket while he's nursing and playing. He bats at little toys on his bouncy seat too!

It's been so much fun watching Eli grow up! I can't wait to see what this next month will bring. :)

Do the Moo Shoo

I really enjoy that time of night when all is still and quiet. You can't hear anything but the noise machine over the baby monitor, or maybe the swing makes a click-click sounds as Eli rocks comfortably.

This is when I like to do fun things without being interrupted, like stalk facebook, unpack a box, or just stare out the window blankly and quietly. You know, quiet things. If there must be noise, the clicking of keyboard keys as I chat with a friend is completely acceptable! :)

Then I hear a new noise coming from the kitchen.

It's metallic, perhaps...with a bit of crunching. Not a rhythmic sound, more choppy and irregular. Hacking? What in the world could that be?

We interrupt this blog to bring you a Veggie Tales video.

There was Matt, freezer door wide open, trying desperately to do the "Moo Shoo"! (You need chicken for this, see?).

The chicken was not cooperating. It was frozen solid, in a mass perfectly shaped for the least amount of movement possible. The release-button for the shelf was wedged tightly against frozen chicken!

So from thence came the noise...heavy kitchen knife meeting block o'frozen chicken, trying to create space to lift it out.

I am happy to report that the chicken will be served without the freezer door for dinner tomorrow night. :)

WIAN - Bein' Ian

Aunt Kathy began broadcasting from this channel when Ian was very little. Often when I see Ian doing something, I can't help but think of her saying it!

For example, this afternoon:

He dressed himself today.

Gray shirt. Blue shorts. Black socks. Brown dress loafers.

And, later in the afternoon, he amused himself by playing in the backyard while I hung up the diapers...

Fast, shiny metal airplane. Bright, fluffy miniature pink poodle as its pilot.

Of course, by the time I was ready to run for the camera, the flight had been grounded. He mentioned something about running out of gas.

Then, he pointed out the maintenance guy cutting the grass next door.

"Mom, why is he cutting the grass over there?"

(This question instantly made me feel awkward. Did we really spend that little time keeping the grass cut? Uh, probably. I think I could count the number of times we mowed the grass on my hands...haha).

"Well, people mow it, like Mr. Scott mowed our grass to keep it short."

He scrunched his face quizzically, "But why do they have to cut it? Why does it have to be short?"

"You know, that's a good question, Ian. I don't know who first thought of that idea."

Without a pause for thought, "I know who."

"Yes, Ian?"

"It was probably a girl that had that idea."

Hahahahahaha. He's turned my own joke on me.

This concludes this broadcast of WIAN. :)

What is Permanent?

When it comes to our words and feelings, what is permanent?

I had to think about this today. (You'll see why). I love my kids. More than words or pictures could ever sum up. But, I'm still human.

So sometimes, I feel like my words are sort of like a reminder of how I feel.

Other times, my words are something I feel like I have to do as part of a list, or a task at hand.

Then there are the times that those words feel subject to change on my whim. Feelings are feelings, after all…they do come and go.

But what if there was a permanent marker for my heart, and I always felt the same way, no matter what happened?

That's what having a child made me ponder today. Permanent markers...err, permanence.

Come here, you little permanent marker covered imp! Time out!

First, I pondered what on earth you thought you were doing. Were you drawing me a path or something?

Were you marking a spot on the couch to sit together? Or were you agreeing with the conversation Mommy and Daddy were having about one day getting a new neutral couch?

(Remind me not to discuss a new camera or computer for a while.)

It really doesn't matter what she was doing, of course. She had a consequence the same as any other time…no worse just because it happened to be a permanent marker. (Which is where I surprised myself. When I look at pictures of stuff other kids ruined, I thought I would lose it if that was my child! SERIOUSLY! WHERE are their parents!??!).

My next thought was how very, very angry I was at her for ruining the couch. I didn't like her very much. WHY my child? But, oh always that urging of my call...to CHOOSE happiness, and to CHOOSE love. I do love, you, Zoe....even when you color on my couch.

Soooo...why didn't I beat the child? First, the real issue is where she should be coloring. Would I beat her for coloring on the table or walls? No. Secondly, it's hard to beat someone when you're focused on how much you love them. And finally, I want her to know that no matter how permanent her actions may seem, there's still love. I thank God for that love in my heart. Times like this I guess show how much I am changing as I grow in this journey of motherhood.

Because really, nothing is actually permanent except change, right?

Oh, and this.

Customized cross graphic from http://www.christian-graphics.net/

"For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." -Romans 8:38-39

(Or permanent marker!).

I love you, Zoe, more than you'll ever know. But that pales in comparison to the permanence of the future, and Christ's love for you.

On a less serious note, permanent marker is not as permanent as you think. If you were wondering why you smelled something wintergreeny fresh while sitting on my couch…

I have Anna to thank for this. She boldly battles stains like no other person I've ever met. Also, I have Google to thank. If you want to see how to get permanent marker out of a couch, click HERE.

Maybe one day I'll explain to Zoe the difference between washable markers and permanent markers. I may even pull out this post, and have a really deep and meaningful conversation with her about things that stay and things that never change. But today, we're just going to work on coloring on paper, not couches. :)

P.S. I have no idea where she got the marker. Attribute it to moving and misplaced items.

P.P.S. The green stuff is wintergreen "flavor" rubbing alcohol...which I also have no idea from whence it came, but it sure did work wonders!

"Because Eli will be happy when he comes."

Do you remember the story behind this little outfit?

If not, you can read the full story HERE.

To sum it up, Ian chose this onesie for his brother, saying, : "...I like it a lot! It's perfect! We'll get this one, Mom. It has a smiley face on it, because Eli will be happy when he comes, and he's my little brother..."

How appropriate then that today, after this amazingly fun little photo op, Eli laughed for the first time! It was just a little baby chuckle, but a laugh nonetheless! I can't wait to share those precious little giggles with you at some point!

Speaking of laughs...Ian was laughing a lot while I grabbed some quick pictures. Eli even snuck in a smile.

I think this might be my new favorite picture. Just classic. Ian's crazy huge smile...and little brother's apparent bemusement. Who knows what he is thinking, really.

Just this week, Ian has developed even more wonderful "Big Brother" skills. When Eli was crying in the van on the way home from the store, he asked Matt to turn on the music. Eli stopped crying, and Ian BEAMED. "See Mom, he is happy now. I did it. I asked you to turn on the music and he stopped crying. He likes the music, Mom."

I will admit to you I don't actually tear up often, but here I am about to cry like a baby. Because, over the past few days, every time Eli cries...Ian goes to him and sings to him. He sings his ABC's, Jesus Loves Me, and insane made-up tunes. What's even more precious is that often Eli doesn't even hesitate his crying, but cries louder. And Ian patiently continues singing to him as if it doesn't matter if it helps or not!

If the crying continues to much longer, I have to laugh...since Ian will inform me at long last, "It's not working, Mom. He just wants na-nas." He doesn't get frustrated or insulted or anything. It's just a matter of fact thing. Wow, do I need work on this one!

Big Brother. Little Brother.

I have to repeat myself and end this blog the same way I ended the other...Ian, you were right. Eli is happy...he has the best brother in the whole world. :)

They Keep Me Honest

Just as I mentioned in my last post, certain aspects of having children are inspiring. They really make you think about our inner sources of inspiration and motivation.

But, some of those things come directly to my ears...I don't really have to read into, or think about very much.

Case in point: mess of books on the floor, waiting to be put away.

"Mom, what are you doing?" Ian eyed me as I pulled all of the books out of the box.

"I'm putting these books away on the shelf where they go," I informed him with a sigh.

"Oh. The movers brought them here for us?" (He asks this question almost EVERY time I'm unpacking a box and he takes interest).

"Yes. And, I'm unpacking them and putting them away. But, I'm going to take a break now, so I need you to leave this pile alone. Ok?" I crawled over to the couch and stretched out.

Ian jumped to his feet and grabbed my arm. "Oh no, Mom! You can't leave this right here! You need to get up and put it away FIRST, and thennnnn you can rest!"

I chuckled, "Well, Ian, sometimes you need to rest a minute and then get the energy to finish."

He very seriously eyed me, "Well, Mom, sometimes you just need to pick up and then you can energy."

Ugh! Really?! Truer words have never been spoken! Um, and I'll confess I had already walked away from that pile 3 or 4 times. Hehe.

(Fast forward a couple of hours).

Next case in point: special ice cream treat...a reward for Ian playing nicely while I took a rest, (earned this time, yay!) and for Zoe taking a nap.

I gave each of them a popsicle, and also one for myself. Many of you know, I am the ice cream eating champion. I enjoy ice cream most when I get brain freeze. :) I returned to the freezer for my second popsicle. (It only seems fair that when you eat twice as fast, you get twice as much?).

Zoe raised up one sticky little finger. "One. Jussss one."

(Insert sound of screeching brakes here).

"What did you say, Zoe?" I couldn't believe my ears.

Ian concentrated, and furrowed his brow a moment.

"She said, 'Just one,' Mom. She means you just get one for now, and more later," he ended with an ever so helpful intonation.

"YES!" Zoe smiled her broadest and cutest little smile. "One!"

I closed the freezer door. You know, they're right. Drat! Foiled again!

Maybe someone is thinking my kids are telling me what to do. But, I know they know that I'm the parent...and this respectful and direct counsel is very appreciated by me. (I don't look at it as my kids telling me what to do, but instead holding me accountable to a higher standard). They are the best accountability I have! They see me day in, and day out. They are going to keep me honest to something I think all of us hold close to our hearts: Let your actions speak louder than your words.

I'm completely fine with this arrangement.

(Until they begin charging me for their services!).

:)