family

How Many Miles Can We Get Out of This? or Milking This One for ALL its Worth

February 1, 2011

in dinner conversations,family,family dinners,Motherhood

Some of you may remember my post last December (as in 2009) in which I shared one of Scott’s moments of sheer brilliance at the dinner table.

Well, I feel the need to tell you that 13 months later and my kids are STILL eating their vegetables to spite their Daddy. I am sure this says something of their character… for which we must spend some time rectifying, but meanwhile my mean spirited little children are eagerly gobbling up their vegetables.

I had no idea it would last this long. I thought for sure after a few weeks it would get old. My son quickly caught on to the game, even quietly telling Daddy one day he knows it’s just a game he plays to get them to eat their vegetables… and still he’ll play along. (much like Santa Claus)

The game is def best suited to my competitive second born. I have seen her literally gagging as she tries to down her vegetables just so she can show daddy “ha, ha I cleaned my plate… your not going to eat my ears!”

There are some vegetables they prefer to others and I am not saying every day they eat their veggies without complaint. But, over all this little game has been a huge hit at the circus. My 3 year old will request veggies at lunch so we can e-mail Daddy and let him know we ruined our ears and when I made pizza last time, my 4 year old came in and asked “What vegetable we were having to go with it?”

Sometimes it gets a bit old having the kids interrupting dinner multiple times to show Daddy their veggies in their mouths and sometimes Daddy will forget and say, “Good job!” when they show him their cleaned plate… and the kids will laugh and say, “Dad, remember, your supposed to say bad job b/c you don’t want us to ruin our ears!”

Just last night at dinner our friend said, “How long do you think this is going to last?” I have no idea… but I do know that it worked… my 6 yr old now genuinely likes broccoli and they are all much more willing to try out new vegetables.

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Some Presents Can’t Be Wrapped

December 29, 2010

in Christmas,cousins,family

A few moments from this weekend which I wish to savor…

1. My son presenting his gift to his extended family. (One nap time he came up excited to share that he had drawn a picture from each scene in Luke 2. On Christmas he gave one picture to each person. He then laid them all out on the floor and recited the story from memory.)

2. Prepping the Christmas Lasagnas with my daughter… it marked a milestone, in which she was truly helpful in the kitchen. She made one lasagna and I made the other!

3. Uncle Jim patiently spending time reading and playing with my kids. ( sooo good to have him here rather than skyping from Iraq like last year)

4. Cousins playing together…

5. Watching my brother play with my kids.

6. Spending the day with my nephew.

7. My sons first Christmas

I am so thankful for the memories shared this past weekend. They are worth far more to me than anything that could have been wrapped and put under our tree.

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The Hard Way

December 16, 2010

in Christmas,Christmas Tree,family,holidays,traditions

When cutting down a tree, much like when shopping for a dress, there seems to be an unwritten rule of conduct.

No matter how fabulous it looks, you simply can’t go with the first one you see.

One simply can’t drive to the farm, march down the aisle, and stop at the first decent looking spruce you see.

That would be far too easy.

Where would the fun be in that?

And what if an even better tree lies waiting around the corner and you miss out because you settled for that first tree? The easy tree. The one you could have posed for pictures in front of, cut down, took more pictures with, and paid for all while your toes and fingers were still warm.

No, the circus family is a lot of things… loud, crazy, traditional,

…but easy is not in our vocabulary.

We like to walk up and down every row. We find a good tree… even snap a few pictures in front of it, but then we second guess ourselves and send scouts back to that first tree. Is it better? The scouts never know so we leave someone at tree 2 while others go back to the easy tree. Inevitably during this back and forth, someone stumbles across a third option. What about this one?

At this point, we’re all quite ~~cold~~ frozen through and through and eagerly agree to whichever tree the majority of us are standing closest to.

We then set about the task of cutting down the tree.

(even the lil guy gets in on the action…never to young for a saw, we say)

By the time the tree is down and more pictures are snapped,

some of us are more excited than others.

Some are just cold and ready to get back in the toasty van.

“Seriously, why couldn’t Mom and Dad have just agreed to the first tree? Why do they always have to make things so difficult?”

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Aren’t They Great?

October 28, 2010

in family

I didn’t really know my great grandparents. All but one had passed away before I was born and my GG died when I was 2. I have one fleeting memory of her sitting in a chair in my grandparents dining room, but the rest I get from stories and pictures.

October could have been deemed “Great Grandparent Month” at the circus. My children are so blessed to have 4 living great grandparents in their lives today. We got to spend some special time with each of the great grandparents this month and I am so very thankful that for the memories we made.

At the beginning of the month, Scott’s Nana flew out from CA to spend the week in Annapolis. Many, many wonderful memories were made while she was in town.

Later in the month, we went to PA to spend the weekend with my family. We enjoyed an evening of playing with bubbles at my Mema and Pap’s house.

At the end of the month, we had Scott’s grandpa over to celebrate his birthday. We enjoyed cake and ice cream with him as well as time spent reading, playing Uno, and sitting on his lap.

I can’t say enough how grateful I am for each one of these grand parents. I love them dearly and am so thankful my children are blessed to have them in their lives.

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A Date with Dad

October 25, 2010

in family,football,traditions

I got my love of sports from my dad. I can remember watching Pirates games at 5 when he was out of town, just to make me feel closer to him. In high school, my dad would take me to Penn State Football games to watch my cousin play in the Blue Band. I think my dad made sure that we attended every kind of professional sporting event at least once. He took us to Orioles games, a Capitals game, a Bullets game and once we even attended a preseason Redskins/Steelers game. While most kids were learning their states and capitals, my dad was quizzing me on cities and sports team. He’d name a city and I’d name the professional football and baseball teams from that city.

I saw a baby bib this weekend that said, “I was born a Steelers fan.” Though I am bit big for a bib, this most definitely describes me.

Dad taught me lots about sports, but without a doubt, my love for the Steelers is the biggest sports heritage he passed on to me. Even though I was raised in the Baltimore area, there was no doubt, no question who our family routed for. I can remember Dad telling me about Jerome Bettis “See that guy there, number 36… they call him the Bus b/c when people try to tackle him he just keeps running, taking them with him for the ride.”

When my family moved back to PA and I transferred to Grove City College, I was finally able to watch the Steelers weekly. I’d leave the lunch hall early on Sun afternoon to go up to my room and cheer for my boys in black and gold. Then Dad and I would discuss the game on the phone afterwards.

When Scott and I married and moved to MD, my dad would tape the Steelers game for us and mail us the VHS tapes to watch… for a few seasons Wednesday nights were football nights at our house. We’d always try to schedule a few trips to my parents in the fall so we could watch the games with my folks. New traditions were formed as we started meeting them in Ligonier in August to watch the team at training camp. My parents also make sure to keep my kids dressed in Steelers apparel each season.

So, for Christmas last year Scott and I gave my dad a “gift certificate” of sorts. We gave him the promise of a father/daughter date in the 2010 season to watch a game at Grill 36 (Jerome Bettis’ bar and grill) right across from Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.

This weekend, the circus fam headed to PA to make good on that promise.

I don’t often get much one on one time with my dad. Typically the kids are vying for Grandma and Papa’s attention when we get together and if I do occasionally sneak off for some one on one time with a parents, it is usually my mom.

This Sunday dad and I left after church to head into the city. We enjoyed the pregame show and then an all to close Steelers victory (we one by one point). Grill 36 is an incredible atmosphere to watch a Steelers game. The place was packed with Steelers fans. They had 48 tvs all showing the Steelers game. They would blare music over the speakers during commercial breaks much like at a game and when the Steelers got a touch down the place would go wild! It felt a lot like being at a game.

To be honest, perhaps it wasn’t the most fair gift to give my dad. Because I enjoyed the time together, just as much, if not more than my dad. In a lot of ways, it was a gift to myself as well. Watching the Steelers play in that atmosphere was was a ton of fun; watching it with my dad, was priceless! Thanks dad for not only sharing your love of Steelers football with me, but for sharing your Christmas gift as well.

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Blessed Assurance

October 8, 2010

in family,legacy,Weekend Thoughts

5 years ago this month, God took her home to heaven. Though the truth is, Alzheimer’s/Dementia took Grandma from us long before then. At first she’d just forget what time we’d be leaving for church the next day or when we’d be eating dinner. Later she forgot her grandchildren, children, and eventually even her own identity. Bit by bit the disease took more of her.

I remember walking into the care facility the weekend Scott and I had gotten engaged. At this point, Grandma wasn’t able to have coherent conversations anymore. She’d say rhymes or gibberish or murmur under her breath. It was incredibly hard to visit her b/c you knew she didn’t know you, and she couldn’t even hold a conversation with you. And the pained look on my father’s face as he watched his mom like that always tore my heart out. I’d still go with my dad when I was home from college, we wouldn’t stay long, but I just felt we should still go. And that weekend I wanted to go to tell her I had gotten engaged. Scott had met her before (I had wanted her to “meet” him so that I at least knew in my heart that she had seen him). We went for me, not for her. I knew she wouldn’t understand, but I wanted my grandma to be a part of this life changing occasion in my life.

It was Easter and there was hymns playing in the sitting room. Grandma was there in a wheel chair staring off into space. As I got closer though I realized she was singing along with the hymns. My eyes filled with tears. The disease may have stolen her memories past and present but it didn’t take her faith. More than once when Scott and I went to visit her in the midst of a string of gibber gabber we’d hear her murmur, “God loves me, I love God.” I couldn’t help but think of the verse in Philippians 4:7, “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Grandma may not have understood her situation or what was going on around her, but she truly had a peace that passed all understanding. I was also reminded of Romans 8:8-39, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

5 years ago we buried Grandma. As I sat in the old country church holding my very loud and squirmy 18 mth old son, I mourned the fact that she never got to know him. She would have loved to play games with him and make him laugh much like she did with me when I was little. She’d have sang him Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Old MacDonald and played peek a boo. With tears trickling down my face we sang the old hymn, “Blessed Assurance.” They couldn’t have chosen a better hymn to sing at her funeral.

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

Refrain:
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long;
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long.
Perfect submission, perfect delight,
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
Angels, descending, bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.
Perfect submission, all is at rest,
I in my Savior am happy and blest,
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.

I have lots of memories of my grandma. Lunches at McDonalds, getting letters in the mail written on the back of McDonalds placemats,riding in the front seat of Grandpa’s Ford Pick up truck, playing in the fields of her farm, but the one I cherish most is that Easter in the nursing home when I witnessed her praising her Savior all her days long. I hope that when I am gone my family can say that my story was such.

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