not to us

(Just imagine me saying/chanting that title in the spirit of "Weapon of Choice" by FatBoySlim.)

Now, on to the important stuff...and the not-so-important stuff.  :)  This is shaping up to be one of those rambly, train-of-thought types of posts.  I'll try to start with the important things, so I don't lose you too soon.  ;)

First up - I've been invited to go on a mission trip to Uruguay in March.  In order for me to go, we'd need to have someone who could be responsible for Ruby and Burke the week of March 5 - March 9.  (There's a high probability that Mike will be traveling a lot during the first quarter of the year, so we would need someone who would be able to keep Ruby and Burke overnight, if needed.)  If you have any suggestions, let us know.  (Obviously, we're looking for someone that we know and trust.)  I'd really appreciate prayers for guidance about whether to go on the trip or not.

You can also pray specifically for Mike and me as parents.  We seem to be dealing with a resurrection of sorts...the resurrection of the Terrible Twos and the Terrifying Threes all combined into some horrifyingly scary edition of the Frightening Fives.  You may think I'm exaggerating wtih all the terrible and the terrifying and the scary and the frightening, but y'all.  I've been reduced to tears on multiple occasions in the past three weeks.  (Honest, gut-wrenching, I'm-failing-as-a-parent tears...)  So if you'd pray for me, that'd be great.  And parents of children who are five and older, if you've got similar experiences or any advice, bring it on!

In the "pros" column, we are seeing a lot of bright spots in Ruby's development, too.  She can now spell and write several words other than her name without any help.  She's recognizing a few sight words without prompting.  She got a kid's camera for Christmas, and she's got quite an eye for a five year old.  :)  There are times when she makes incredibly mature decisions, and she's beginning to show a concrete understanding of faith in Jesus Christ.

Being a parent is a rollercoaster of emotions: insanely proud in one moment and crippled with doubt in the next.  I wouldn't trade a second.

Burke is turning into quite the little talker.  He's constantly making up some sort of pretend circumstances for playtime.  He's Perry.  Or he's Phineas.  Or he's a baby.  Or he's a cat who says, "Memow."  He uses his blocks to make towers, monster trucks, guns, racetracks, or some other totally boyish contraption.  He loves to wrestle and climb.  He's been 100% potty-trained for many months now, and he just seems like such a big boy.

And now for the random:

Ruby and Burke get a little stopped up every now and then, if you know what I mean.  It happens most often when we go to grandparents' houses...mostly because we're out of the norm and the kids get a lot of snacks that aren't necessarily fiber-filled.  ;)  Last week, my mom gave Ruby and Burke some "poop candy."  Magic words for prunes.  She refrigerated them and cut them up into quarters.  Call something candy, and my kids are very willing to give it a try.  Amazingly, they'll gladly eat two prunes and beg for more, if the prunes are chilled and cut up.  

Let me just say that my kids are regular beyond regular now.  We had to cut them back from 2 prunes/day to 1.5 prunes/day.  They are now down to 1 prune/day in order to ward off panicked cries of, "I've gotta go NOW, Mom!!!"  ;)  If your kids get stopped up, try some chilled Sunsweet Prunes cut into quarters.  

Just be careful if you call them poop candy.  Because when you walk by prunes in the grocery store, your kids are very likely to scream at the top of their lungs, "POOP CANDY!!!  Mom! Mom!  Can we get some more?!?!?"  ;)

Lastly, I ate a salad for dinner.  I didn't want to, but I did.  Baby steps, people.  Baby steps.

Goodnight.  :)