Just saying hello...

Hi Everyone,

Just stopping to say hello to everyone. I've not been very faithful to blog lately. I will try and do better. It's been a beautiful sunny weekend here with temps in the 50's. I know that doesn't sound warm to some of you but it feels so warm compared to the snow and ice we've just gone through. My family has all enjoyed getting out and walking/biking in much more pleasant weather.

This weekend has flown past. Friday night we went to the OxBowzaar. It's the annual PTO fund raiser at school, with carnival type activities. This year Madison was old enough to help run one of the games. She was looking forward to it. Quinn still enjoys playing all the games and winning all of the trinkets that I hate to see come home to our house! I sold game tickets for an hour and baked a cake for the cake walk. Oh, I've got to tell you the story about my cake. I told Quinn the night before that I didn't have time to make a fun or fancy cake, it would just be a plain old cake with frosting and sprinkles. I told him I was sorry that I just couldn't make it more special this year. His response just floored me. This is a summary of what he said. He said, if you had a $1 bill that was crisp and new and were giving it away, everyone would want it, because it's free and you know it's worth something. If you took the $1 bill and crumpled it up and asked who wants it, people would still want it, because they would know that it is worth something and it doesn't matter how it looks. And, if the $1 crumpled up bill was thrown on the floor and stomped on, people would still want it because it still has the same exact value. He went on to say, "It doesn't matter what your cake looks like. It is still valuable and worth something and tastes good. Just because one cake might be more decorated than yours, it doesn't mean it tastes better. So it's OK Mom that you don't have time to decorate the cake more. People will still want it. One cake is not more valuable than another." .............I was just blown away. Our son is so sensitive and insightful. Apparently the guidance counsellor at school had told his class the story about the $1 bill and he was already finding ways to apply it to life. His reassurances put tears in my eyes as I get excited to see what great and awesome things God has planned for this boy in his bright future! He amazes me!

Yesterday was spent tying up the last softball try-outs for the Major Softball team. I'm coordinating the teams again this year and it looks like we will have 3 teams again. This means we will play games with other teams outside our league. Madison and Quinn both had soccer practice, Quinn at 8am and Madison at 1pm. I also got in on the very end of Field Day to prepare the outdoor fields for use. Outdoor practices start next week.

That's pretty much the highlights from our weekend. I hope you had a good weekend too!

Stars

Tonight during our devotions Quinn and I read the creation story. I asked him, "Do you think God hung the stars like Christmas ornaments are hung on a tree?" He replied, "This is what I think... I think that space is God's room. The stars are like stickers that he scattered around on His ceiling . When we see falling stars... that's just God moving a star from one place to the next."

Quinn's Quips

Dear God,
Thank you so much for my brilliant family. If I wasn't born into this family...well... I would have been born into a different family.... and wished that I was born into this one.
Amen

Quinn's Quips

While taking a shower, Quinn said to me...

"Mom, I think that it's really good that we have central nervous systems and everything, but in a way, it might be better if we didn't have any nerves at all."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, because if you cut your leg off, it wouldn't even hurt."

I tried to give him the mini-symposium about how pain is also a protective mechanism etc... but I think I lost him.

Quinn's Quips

Quinn: From the first time I saw Cocoa at the Humane Society, I knew that she had talent.

Mom: Oh really, what kind of talent did you see?


Quinn: The ability to listen ....and do tricks.

Mom: Well... she's got a lot of the tricks part down but the "ability to listen part?"... still workin' on it.

Half-Way thru the Week

Quinn's Quip:
Don't worry Mom, I'm never going to get a tattoo... but if I did, it would be a heart with your name, "MOM" written in it.


Madison and I were home tonight. She was actually happy to realize she didn't have soccer practice tonight. I guess she was ready for a break. She was kind of tired today I guess. We had an early start to our day today with an unexpected trip to South Bend with an appointment at 8am. Her filling from the dentist visit yesterday was too high and was driving her crazy...she couldn't get her teeth to touch together without it hitting the filling. This was her first filling so I don't think she quite new how it should feel when she was done. Our choices were to wait until next Monday when this peds dentist comes back to town or go to South Bend to get it polished down. With ISTEPs happening all week and her telling me how that's all she could think of all day long yesterday, I didn't feel like we had too much of a choice. It took us an hour to get there with horrible morning traffic! I've always liked this dentist but this was enough to make me decide to change dentists for the kids... to one that's in town all the time! I had her to school by 9:06 though. Just a little late.

Quinn had soccer practice with Nate tonight. Tony got home around 7pm. That was it. Pretty calm and quiet this evening. : )

Does it mean I'm old?

Does it mean I'm old if I'm glad to be home this Friday night doing nothing? Ok, I know I haven't felt very well this week with a cold and all. It just sure feels good to be at home in my sweats. I started feeling some better this afternoon finally but now my cold is traveling down and I'm getting a cough instead of a sore throat. 10 hours of sleep last night helped though!

The kids had a 1/2 day of school today. Madison got picked up around 4pm today and is staying overnight at Holyn's house. They are going to Holyn's brother's baseball game tonight. Nate just left our house. He and Quinn had supper and drank hot cocoa. They've played outside for hours and came in cold. It's in the low 60's and of course Quinn is out there in a t-shirt and shorts.

Quinn and I were watching part of the Cubs game tonight (that was a replay from yesterday) and he said this to me... "I don't really care if they get a homerun or not... what I look for is their spirit... and how much effort they put into their game." Does that sound like our Quinn or what?

We're just going to hang out the rest of the evening....ahhhhhhhh

Quinn's Quips

Here is Quinn's theory on how people get deer farms started...

"One hunter drives a pick-up truck and the other hunter rides in the back with a dart gun. They drive around and when they see a deer the hunter in the back shoots it with the dart gun. This makes it go to sleep just for a little while, until they can get it back to their farm."

Quinn's Quips

Sunday night after Tony and Quinn came home from basketball camp and Madison and I came home from the fair, we all sat in the living room and were visiting before we told the kids it was time for them to get ready for bed. Quinn was so tired (and whinny) and said in his whinniest voice, "Well, can't we have a little family time...for at least a pig pile or something?" How can you turn down that offer... for a pig pile to count as family time? So we piled on Tony. Yes, the secret is out. We occasionally have pig piles at our house!

Quinn's Quips

Quinn called at 10:30 on Friday night from the father/son basketball camp. He sounded quite excited and the first thing he told me was "I'm minus 53 calories now!" He was delighted that he found an exercise machine that told him this information. Then, instead of telling me about the basketball playing itself or of the pizza party that he had been looking forward to, what dorm room they are in, or if he saw any friends there, he told me this...

"A man came to speak to us tonight and he painted with his fingers. He painted a picture of Jesus, by just using his fingers. There was blood on Jesus' head that ran down by his eye to remind us of how much Jesus suffered for us."

We went on to talk a little bit about how it's good to have reminders every now and then about Jesus' suffering on our behalf.

.....Come to think of it, we never even talked about the basketball part of the camp.

He said, "I love you Sooo much Mom" and then we hung up.

That's my Quinner.

Humbled by a Quinn's Quip

I noticed that Quinn had a long face at the Little League fields tonight. I asked him, "Why the long face?" And then he proceeded to tell me that a boy he didn't know meanly said to him, "What's wrong with you~ do you have a staring problem?!" My poor sweet Quinn had his feelings hurt. This mama bear's claws came out and I said, "So did you say, "NO, Do you have one?" (insert sarcastisc inflection)

Quinn said, "I can't do that. The Bible says I need to turn away... and to treat others the way I want to be treated."

What a humbling moment for me. My sarcastic voice was "at large" and it was his turn to remind me on how to respond to someone like that. It didn't make it any easier for Quinn... in fact it was probably hard to do... to just look away and not say something back.

Humbled by wisdom from an 8 year old is not a comfortable feeling.

.

Quinn's Quips

As I walked out of Buffalo Wild Wings tonight Quinn came up and grabbed my hand and said, "You have to come with me... I have to show you something!" So we started walking off down the side walk... past where we were parked.

Q: "I know, I know... we're walking past the truck (like I'm sorry but...) ... Prepare to be Amazed!"

We rounded the corner of the restaurant and he pointed up to the sky.

Q: "Just look at that moon... and the stars that are out tonight!"

We stood there hand in hand and ooohed and ahhed over the moon that was pretty near 1/2 covered in clouds and very "dusty" looking, certainly not very bright. I searched hard in the sky to find the 3 bright stars that peaked through the clouds that he must have been talking about....one he pointed out that he thought must have been a planet because it was so bright (actually it probably was).

Me: "Wow, Buddy, that's so beautiful... thanks for sharing that with me. That's so sweet of you."

What a special moment... I hope he'll want to hold my hand and gaze at the moon with me for some time yet because I know some day some other girl will steal his heart... but for this time in his life, there is no question that his heart belongs to me.

Quinn's Quips

Our family of four was sitting in the hospital cafeteria last Thursday and we began to talk about how tired Quinn looked. His right eye gets "lazy" on him and his lid doesn't open as wide when he's tired... a dead give-away. Beppe agreed with us about Quinn looking tired. He looked at her and in all seriousness, without one ounce of hesitation said, "Well, you've got bags under your eyes!"

...Something you don't want your charming young son to say to one of his grandmothers!

Quinn's Quips

Quinn: UGH... I just got a mosquito bite!

Mom: You did?

Quinn: Yes, my central nervous system told me so... I could feel it.

Quinn's Quips

Yesterday, a Monday, Quinn gave me the perfect pep talk before I went to work. Most of you know that I don't "do" Mondays...

"Mom, I want you to have a really, really good day today...because you know, when we are in heaven there isn't going to be any sickness so there won't be anyone for you to take care of there."

I said, "That's right! (what a great reminder)....There won't be any pain, so there really won't be anyone for me to take care of...."

How I can't wait for heaven. Really.

Quinn's Quips

Quinn's prayer last night went like this...

"Dear Jesus, Thank you for this day. Thank you for my friends and family. Thank you for protecting me today. Please help the saber-tooth tigers to mate. In Jesus' name, Amen."

And me... "What was that all about...saber-tooth tigers mating?" (!!!!)

Quinn said, "Oh, it's on Prehistoric Park on Animal Planet and it's this show about prehistoric animals and they really need these saber-tooth tigers to mate so they won't become extinct."

So I said, "Well, what exactly does mating mean anyway?"....

He replied, "Oh, it just means that they'll get married and have cubs."

Whew.....

Quinn's quips

While reading a recipe Quinn noticed that it called for smoked provolone cheese.

"Why in the world would anyone want to add smoke to their cheese? That is so disgusting!"

"What?... What are you talking about?"

"Well, it says right here, smoked provolone (which he couldn't pronounce) cheese... why would someone want to add smoke?"

"No Buddy, not cigarette smoke... it's like a charcoal grill smokey flavor that is added to the cheese."

"Oh"

Quinn Quips

While helping him dry off from the shower, carefully treading around his "bad knee" (that is skinned up)...

Quinn said, "I just have no idea what I would do without a mom in this world... I mean, it just wouldn't work without a mom."

I said, "Oh you would do just fine with Your dad... he's such a good daddy that you would do great."

"No I don't think so... I mean, what if I had to go to the hospital or something, Dad wouldn't know what to do..."

(My number one fan is SO CUTE!).

Quinn's Quips

The setting: Laying in Quinn's bed, with him just ready to drift off to sleep, he suddenly has this urgent question...

"Mom, can you live without your eyes?"

"Yes, you can... there are a lot of blind people who do just fine."

"No, I mean, can you actually LIVE without your eyes at all?"

"Yes, as long as you don't get an infection... someone might have to wear dark glasses or may be a glass eyeball to make the eyes look normal."

"Yah, you sure wouldn't want your identity known... I mean, it would just be so embarrassing to walk around without ANY eyes... OK, goodnight."

Smoky Mountains, Day 8

Hello everyone,

We are back home safe and sound. It took us about 8 hours from Archie & Michelle's house and we got home at 8:30 tonight. We've already got the 2nd load of clothes in the washer, all of the suitcases are unpacked and I've made my vegetable dish for Easter dinner tomorrow at Beppe & Pakka's. We had a great time on our trip... but it sure is ca-ca-ca-cold up here!!!... low 30's. Thank you Karla for turning our heat on for us... the house was nice and warm.

Here's a "Quinn's Quip" for you. Tonight, about 7 1/2 hours into the trip, the kids were just bickering back and forth about dumb stuff... "his leg is on my side... she keeps touching my pillow..."...yada-yada-yada. So, I told Quinn that he should imagine that there is an invisible wall right down the middle of the van, blocking the view of Madison from him. He says,
"But Mom... if it's invisible, I can still see right through it!"
Ahhhhhh!!... "OK, so think of it as a huge curtain down the middle of the van, that you can't see through!" Tony didn't help the situation either, "well Mama, you know he's really right..." Another Ahhhhhh!!...we've been in the van for tooooo long today!!

OK, I must put my weary body to bed!

Love to all, Leah