Sunday, May 25, 2014

Interview with a Birthday Boy

Friday my blue-eyed darling turned 6.  The two days prior he spent on the couch barfing his little guts out but Friday he was back (mostly).  I remember the day he came into the world as if it were yesterday.  Chris and I were late getting to our scheduled c-section and the nurses were a little annoyed with us.  It was the calmest birth in my history of birthing.  The worst part was the shot to numb me up.  John came into the world the smallest of my babies with a head full of dark, dark black hair and gorgeous blue eyes.  He was a serious baby who laughed little.

Now he is a fun loving boy who laughs at even the dumbest of jokes.  I interviewed him to commemorate moving up from one hand to two hands old.

1.  What do you want to be when you grow up?    Veterinarian

2.  Favorite food: Mint ice cream and French toast (really anything with syrup)

3.  Favorite color: Gold

4.  Least favorite food: CHICKEN!

5.  Favorite Bible Verse: John 3:16

6.  What is the best thing to do in your spare time?  Play outside and ride my new bike

7.  Will you ever get married? NO

8.  Where do you want to live?  San Diego because it is warm.

9.  What is your favorite sport to play? Football, I want to play for the Cougars (USF, yikes I better start saving)

10. I wish I had a _________.  Tape gun so I could tape people to the wall

Chris got John a "present" he was less than thrilled about.  Sardines.

He outgrew is old bike so he got a new one for his present.

Happy birthday donut, an Anderson tradition!

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Filling the Silence

"Too skinny. Too small. Sinker not swimmer. The horn on the bus goes beep beep beep."

Sitting in the reading nook, Daniel's sweet voice carries through the house.  The boy talks or sings all day long.  He was an early talker, like his biggest brother, Elijah.  He really started talking All. Day. Long. once the biggest and bigger brothers started school in August.  Suddenly, there were no other voices to overshadow his and he takes full advantage of that fact All. Day. Long.  Often he takes people by surprise because they don't expect a toddler to answer their, "How are you?"  with an actual answer.

Around March he began the question phase of his life.  While John preferred to ask why, Daniel prefers to ask "What is that?"  This is an all encompassing question used to determine both objects and people.  It also comes in handy in the grocery store.  There are a million ways to answer this without offending any one person who is being pointing at.  Elijah preferred "Who is that?" and it usually got us wrapped into a conversation with a stranger who had to comment on my petite talker. 

Not that we get out of those conversations.  Daniel was loudly proclaiming the gospel from the grocery cart a few weeks back when a dear, sweet older lady stopped me.  "He sure has volume doesn't he?" She said, very quietly.  I agreed and tried to shush my Jesus loves me singer.  "Oh, never try to squash his voice, dear,"  she continued. "People have told me to speak up my whole life.  You let that voice be loud." 

Or there was the week when Daniel was scolding his brother John with the exact words I had used just moments prior.  The older gentleman getting pizza next to me could barely contain this chuckle.  It is quite something to hear a toddler saying, "John, you keep your hands on the cart we'll talk about letting you have a sucker when we are done."

Daniel's second favorite question is "What?"  He uses this to make you think he didn't hear you, thus getting you to repeat what you said four times before finally giving up.  I am pretty certain he got it the first time but finds his amusement in controlling the adults in his life.  This little man of mine is dangerous. 

I cannot think of a more joyful way to fill the silence of the day than with Daniel's sweet voice as he talks to his animals, reads books, sings wonderful mash-ups of songs, and questions my every move.


Friday, May 9, 2014

Dear John

 
Dear John,   You made it!  You have successfully finished your Kindergarten year.  It was fun (mostly) and a little bit hard too, uh?  I am so proud of you.  This year I saw you learn how to let others go first.  You learned how to read and discovered that words are everywhere!  You learned that some times people are not nice but that we can love them anyways.  You fell in love with Mrs. Otten and declared her the best teacher ever.  I am so proud of you!  (I think I already said that.)

You are growing up so quickly and I love the personality God gave you.  You have such a heart for people and care about them.  I also saw a very sensitive side to you this year.  What other's say is not always kind and you learned the power of words first hand.  I pray you carry that lesson with you always.

You never cease to amaze me, buddy!  You finished your whole AWANA book and reviewed it all with minimal help from me.  Keep God's word in your heart and call on during those tough moments. 

Let's have a super fun summer, ok?  Lots of playing and getting dirty and giggling.  I have missed having you at home with me and can't wait for the house to be full of boys again.

Thanks for all the joyful moments!
Love you most!
Mom

Thursday, May 1, 2014

Questions in the Dark

It was a question whispered in the dark.

"Are you happy?"

Just moments before, my dearly beloved had read a desperate note from a friend who was blindsided by his wife's decision to seek a divorce.  This isn't the first friend this has happened to.  It's our third.

All of which brought a whispered question.

"Are you happy?"

I didn't want to answer that question.  I had been wrestling with that question.  That question isn't really the one that should be asked.  I know emotions and my heart are deceitful above all else.  Jeremiah 17:9 confirms that.

The question that really should be asked is, "Do you love me enough to stick it out?"

No and yes. 

I am not happy.  I am worried.  I am tired.  I am overwhelmed.  I am sick at my selfishness & my slothfulness.  I am frustrated. Momming four boys and being a wife to a man in ministry is more than I bargained for.  More than I am equipped to handle.  But life isn't about making me happy.  Life is about doing hard things like disciplining my children, nursing a baby in the middle of the night, taking care of the crew alone while my beloved tries to spread the love of Jesus to lost athletes.  Life certainly is not about what I can handle because who would need Jesus then.  I certainly know I need a Savior; that is abundantly clear each morning when I open my eyes to my darling blue eyed boy and his little brown eyed buddy seeking breakfast while my grey eyed baby coos in his crib until someone rescues him.

I will stick it out.  I love my beloved dearly.  Nothing in my life gets easier without him.  Just him asking warms my heart and gives me a glimmer of light. 

I am clinging to Proverbs 3:5-6 so much these days.  "Trust in the Lord WITH. ALL. YOUR. HEART.  and lean not on your own understanding but in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight."  He's got this all figured out already.  And I am so thankful for that.