the Surprise Outside

The past couple of days have carried some unexpected surprises!

It was NO surprise that our friends came to visit on Thursday. We had a great time with our "waterpark party" in the backyard. Jones and Freddie - but particularly Freddie - did a great job letting their friends go first and, at lunch, pick the movie. I was really proud of how kindly they treated their guests. The Slip and Slide was a ROUSING success, which was also not a surprise. 

I was surprised, however, at swimming lessons that afternoon. Jones jumped off the diving block in the deep end - without a jacket on - and was able to resurface on his own and swim to the side by himself - without help ... OR, and this is the best part of it all, complaining. This GIGANTIC leap forward was a SHOCKING development and one that made me so very proud.

The bigger surprise of the day came first thing that morning, though. When I went out front to get the hose pipe for the backyard, I saw three tiny little baby beaks peeking out of one of the two nest on the wreath Aunt Belva made me earlier this Spring. Since then, the boys and I have named them (Rocky, Pinwheel, and Charlie), claimed them, and watched them grow. If Pressley Prep were in session, this would make one HECK of a science class. 

The easiest way to describe the whole spectacular situation is via InstaStory, which is quickly becoming my favorite medium for preserving the boys' histories.

Be Prepared!

The boys and I have company coming tomorrow. That, of course, has required some preparation these past few days. Our first order of business was to break in our brand new (off-brand) Slip n' Slide, which I can't even say without singing their 1980s commercial jingle:

"Sliiii-pppppp! Slip and Slide!"

As I'd expected, the boys were initially stand-offish when I took them out and told them to take a flying slide down a strange wet tarp in our backyard. That led to my diving in to demonstrate. Then, the boys got involved, and for the next 90 minutes, we three Superman'ed our way to one heck of a good time.

Then, we went grocery shopping today. I took this picture of the adventure, because I love pictures of my boys in shopping carts, and because, as you can tell from this particular picture, those days are numbered. On the not-so-distant day when Jones can no longer bend his lanky little legs enough to fit in those square slots or when Freddie says, "I'm tired of being dog-piled under processed food," I will have to think long and hard about ever going to the grocery store again. How would I do it without some kind of containment?

The final prong in our preparation was for Freddie to paint his pirate mask. He asked if he could paint it, and I said, "Yes," assuming he just wanted to play with it. Turns out, he was making it for ME ... or so he said before VERY quickly changing his mind and saying, "No. It's for Reagan."

So now we have all we need - the entertainment, the eats, and a mask for a sweet young lady that is ENTIRELY not her style.

I'm prepared for a great time.

Chick-to-Day

On today's trip to Chick-fil-A, a couple of things happened:

1) Both boys ordered a chicken sandwich instead of nuggets. They've been doing this more and more lately - because that's their daddy's order. Insert giant eye roll. But also, how cute is that? This morning, Freddie said he wanted to wear a golf shirt, "Like Daddy does." Thank God they've got one worth emulating.

 2) Apparently, Freddie is no longer my boy? If you're like me, you're thinking, "That can't be right," but the proof is in the YouTube video.

That time Jones wanted to tuck Freddie in for his nap ...

... and he did NOT want any help from ME.

"Freddie" for a nap

Now that Jeremy and I have super-sized our queen-sized bed to a king, Freddie has inherited our former digs. To say he likes them would be an understatement.

Coffee Mugs & Quiet Times

I was about six seconds in to this morning's (attempt at a) Quiet Time when Freddie saw what I was doing. Before I could blink, there he stood at the kitchen table, saying, "I want to read my Bible, too."

Who am I to say no to THAT?

This has been happening more and more lately - in fact, it's pretty much guaranteed that, if the boys see me reading the Bible, they're gonna want to pull out their own (for some reason, Jones didn't come today; heathen). I've even bought them little monogrammed coffee mugs, because, like I drink coffee while I read, they want a mug of milk, which is exactly how I used to drink my milk, too.

At first, this interruption drove me crazy. I felt like the quality of MY Quiet Time was TANKING, as the entire ordeal inevitably snowballed into me begging the boys to be quiet before finally giving in and reading some variation of the Creation account.

Here recently, though, God has been changing my heart. He's showing me that this is the BEST habit I can teach them, and I should be SO GRATEFUL that they are picking it up. After all, "I have no greater joy than knowing my children walk in Truth," right?

RIGHT.

God's also showing me that He doesn't require the hour a day I used to be able to spend just with Him. He can speak just as loudly through three minute (re-)readings of the Creation account.

Turns out, that's a REALLY good thing.

Morning Giggles

On the way to Bible Study this morning, Freddie was playing with my mom's old cordless phone. Just after we pulled out of the driveway, he parroted what he's heard me say more than a time or two:

"Don't interrupt me. I'm talkin' to Brookie."

I get it, Son.

YESTERDAY morning, Freddie, who is pretty emphatic about wearing pants all day, every day, came in, having dressed himself thusly. I could not love his geriatric-Jewish-tourist-in-West-Palm ensemble any more than I do.