A Day at the Office

Normally I try not to post random YouTube videos on my blog, mostly because I don't tend to watch them when other people post them (oops...I just admitted that)! But last year I saw this one, and it seriously reminded me of the days when I worked in an IT department at a hospital.

The three guys in this video even have names to me...because they remind me so much of three guys I used to work with, and they are three guys that would have totally done something like this with me! Oh, those were there days! I miss you Jason, Sheldon, and Will!

And the girl who doesn't participate, she has a name in my mind, too. But I better not share that!

So if you've ever worked in an office, I really think you'll get a kick out of this! It makes me smile every single time I see it!

Blue

This week's Shutter Love Tuesday theme over at Trendy Treehouse is Blue.



















And I felt that this picture captured more than one definition of the word :o)

Gabriel in October of 2009. I was trying to take his picture without a pacifier, and each time I'd take it away, he'd burst into tears. So this is what he looked like after I gave it back!

Sarah and Build-A-Bear

The last time that Sarah went to Build-A-Bear, she wasn't even a year old yet.






























But even though it was a long wait between visits, she was still a pro!













































Thank you, Aunt Sonnie, for taking her again!

A Dream Come True

Can you even imagine their excitement?












Sarah and Caleb met their two favorite characters today, Dora and Buzz Lightyear, at the St. Louis Science Center's Kid City.

Caleb also saw some huge dinosaurs...












And Sarah met Cinderella...












They had a great day!

If You Work In Customer Service

During my senior year in college and the year that followed, I worked as a teller at a bank, and sometimes I filled in as the receptionist at the front desk if they needed me to. I saw so many people, always greeting them with a smile, always trying to show an interest in them as a customer.

I remember one morning quite clearly, it changed my outlook on what I said and if I meant what I said. An elderly woman pulled up to the drive through, and I greeted her with my standard, "Good morning! How are you today?"

She paused. She responded slowly.

"Oh, not so good, honey. My brother is in the hospital down in Springfield. They don't think he's going to make it through the day."

I was stunned. Not at the information, just at the fact that she told me and was so sincere and genuine as she spoke to me, visibly upset as the words came out of her mouth.

It wasn't the normal, "I'm good," or "I'm fine," answer. She told me what was really going on in her life. For a brief moment, I was a part of her really bad day.

After that, I stopped asking that question. I don't think I even ask it to people I know a little better than that sweet old lady. I stick with, "Hi! Beautiful weather we're having, huh?" or maybe, "Boy, I sure hope the rain lets up."

Is that bad? Is it bad that it was so hard for me to have someone share that with me? I guess it was just that I realized I wasn't asking to be genuine. I was asking out of formality.

Yesterday I received a replacement debit card in the mail. I called to activate it, and the girl on the other end said, "Hello, Chrissy. How was your day today?"

I paused.

"Not very good actually." I held back tears.

I'm not sure what went through her mind when I said it, and I'm not sure why I told her the truth. I guess if you're having a bad day and someone asks you that question, depending on if anyone else has asked yet, maybe you're prone to be honest?

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. I sure hope tomorrow is better."

Thanks, Regions Customer Service. I'm not sure if it will be, but that was a really good, standard response.

Who's That Girl?

Do you ever look at an old picture of yourself...















...and you know you don't look 18 anymore.

But you just can't figure out what exactly is different?

Does our life's journey just make us look different? Do my eyes now say that I'm a woman who has endured much instead of a girl who has so much more to learn?

I don't know.

Sometimes I stare at that girl.

And wonder what makes us look so different.

We Must Look Trustworthy

We live in a small subdivision with lots of nice people. On one side of our house is a duplex, and behind our house is another duplex. We have seen a few different families in those duplexes in the five years we've lived here, usually with small children.

And every time there are new families who move in, without fail, they trust us without even knowing us. Like just yesterday, the new family next door let their three small children, ages six, four, and two come over to our backyard without watching them. The kids stayed for over an hour, just playing with our kids and the parents allowed us (mostly Josh) to watch their children.

I wonder why that is? Is it because we have a fenced in yard and a play set? Is it because we look trustworthy? Is it because it's a small town and that's just what people do?

Because I tend to be more on the overprotective side when it comes to something like that. I would let my kids play with other kids of course, and I wouldn't necessarily have to watch them if another parent was watching, but goodness...I would at least want to know the parents. You know. At least a little bit.

But I'll just be thankful that other people must see something in us that allows them to trust us. Even if it is just a fenced in, safe-looking yard.

It's Short. Very Short.

I would say that most of my friends who have little boys cut their hair very short. A buzz cut if you will. It's cute.

From the beginning, I have never done that with my little guys, though. I know where it started. It was when I saw the cutest picture of Josh when he was small, two years old to be exact.















And since Caleb had his auburn hair, I knew I wanted him to look just like that. The color was too pretty to cut off.











I admit that more often than not, I wait far too long to get their hair cut. Most of the time, it's over their ears and almost in their eyes. Gabriel, for example, was looking a bit shaggy lately...























So while I was gone to a women's conference thingy at church today, Josh took him to get his hair cut.

This is the first time I've let him take one of our boys to get their hair cut. Weird? Maybe. Call me particular.

But now...






























...it's short.



Very short.


And I almost want to cry.

A Few Similarities

These random thoughts went through my mind while lying in bed yesterday. Maybe it was the meds?


Caleb and Sarah were both born in August.

Caleb and Gabriel were both born in years of presidential elections. Bush won in Caleb's year. Obama won in Gabriel's year.

Caleb and Sarah were both born in years that the St. Louis Cardinals went to the World Series. They were swept in Caleb's year, they won in Sarah's year.

You can find Caleb, Sarah, and Gabriel's names in the Bible. Caleb in the book of Numbers, Sarah in the book of Genesis, and Gabriel (most notably) in the book of Luke (but also in Daniel).

They were each born in "even" years: 04, 06, 08. In 2012, they will be these ages.

The same doctor delivered each of them.

My labor was induced with Sarah and Gabriel.

We brought Sarah and Gabriel home from the hospital to the house we live in currently.

All three of them celebrated their first birthdays in the same house.

Caleb and Sarah have beautiful auburn hair, distinct enough to them that when Sarah moved up to the 4-year-old Sunday school class, the teacher just knew it was Caleb's sister.

Caleb and Sarah have both been under anesthesia. (Both times mommy had tears.)

Caleb and Gabriel have my eyes.

They are all best buddies.

They are all dearly loved.

Sick

It's after 1:00 pm.

I have been laying on the couch most of the day.

Caleb is still in his Buzz Lightyear pajamas.

Sarah is wearing nothing but underwear.

Gabriel has a diaper and a t-shirt on his little body (last I checked).

Caleb fixed everyone breakfast (Eggos) and fixed everyone lunch (fish sticks).

He had to do his school work independently. He brought me my teacher book, and from the couch I told him which pages to complete. I told him when he was finished, I would get up and check them. After he was done, I heard him whisper to himself, "I don't want to make mommy get up," so he brought his book to me. What a sweetie.

Around noon I asked Caleb to find Gabriel's pacifier and tell him to go lay down in his bed. Unbelievably, this worked. Gabriel fell asleep in his bed, just as Caleb instructed him to do.

I ache all over, especially in my neck and back.

I have a fever of 101.

One minute I'm so hot I want to take off most/all of my clothes and lay down in a freezer. The next minute I'm so cold I put on my sweatshirt, sweatpants, and shiver.

Here's to getting better soon.

Pretty sure kids can survive on Eggos and fish sticks for at least a few days, though, right?

Brown

Pictures from August of 2008.

Sarah and Underwear

This morning, as I was getting ready for church, I stood in my bathroom and was about to do the finishing touches of my make-up. I had just completed the eyeliner on one eye when all of a sudden I heard Sarah open my bedroom door and run into the bathroom.

"Mommy! Daddy finished my bath! I need underwear!"

Underwear. Ok.

She knows where her underwear are, but today she needed me to get them. So I walked across the house and grabbed a pair out of her drawer and put them in her little hands. While I was helping her, I realized I had not set out Gabriel's clothes, so I went through his room to find the outfit I had in mind. Then I heard Caleb ask for some cereal. After the cereal was poured, I knew that the others would need something, too, so I fixed them an Eggo and filled up some sippy cups of milk.

Then I knew I needed to find the dress that Sarah wanted and get her to put it on. I also needed to dry and fix her hair. Caleb needed a pair of socks. Mommy needed to find Mommy's shirt.

After all that, I looked at the clock and realized it was about time to go. Everyone was ready and fed, so I told Josh to load them up in the van while I threw on my clothes. So he did.

As we drove off to church, I decided to grab the visor, open the mirror on it, and look at myself. Call me vain. I'm in recovery. When I looked in the mirror, I realized something I forgot.

The other eye had no eye liner.

One eye looked fabulous. The other looked like I just woke up.

Fortunately, no one seemed to notice. Well, that, or they were kind enough to pretend like they didn't notice. The only person I spoke with for an extended conversation was Ashley, and she talked to me like I was normal. I think that's because she stood on the eyeliner side.

So my lesson from this morning: Make Sarah get her own underwear. Distractions cause bad make-up days.

I Remember

I had an 8:00 am communications class on the morning of September 11, 2001. It was a beautiful, autumn-like morning, and I remember quickly getting ready for the day and heading off to class on my new bike. Josh and I were newlyweds, and we decided to ride to class together each day. We'd travel together until I had to go to one building and he had to go to another.

That particular morning, our class was working on small group projects. After Dr. Miller took attendance, we split up and found a table right outside the classroom door to meet and discuss what we were doing. I remember Nathan Evans sitting across from me, and after working on our project with the others for a few minutes, I saw Dr. Miller walking towards us from the hall where his office was located. His face looked perplexed.

He said, "My wife just called. She said the World Trade Center has just been hit by an airplane."

To be honest, there was no sense of urgency in his voice, and I really didn't think much of it. He thought his wife meant a small passenger plane, and that's pretty much what I pictured in my mind, too. It must have been an accident. We continued working until our class time was finished, then I walked out of the "new" part of the library, hopped on my bike, and continued to my next class at Taylor Hall.

As I approached the door, it felt like everyone was talking all at once as we all entered the building. I tried to hear the different conversations, but they all seemed to mix together. I do distinctly remember hearing one girl's voice saying, "There could be 20,000 people in those buildings!"

I'm still not sure if I understood the magnitude of it all because I hadn't seen a TV yet.

I continued with my second class of the day, and by then everyone was talking about it. I understood that a large, commercial plane had hit the north tower, then another hit the south tower, but I'm not sure if I still really grasped what was happening. I left Taylor Hall and headed back to my tiny apartment on the other side of campus.

Then I received a phone call.

"Chrissy...your Uncle Doug had a meeting in the South Tower of the World Trade Center today. Aunt Kathy hasn't heard anything yet. You need to pray."

I turned on the TV to watch the chaos, and the reality of it all finally hit me. It hit all too close to home. How could I actually know someone who is living this nightmare? Has Doug made it out yet? What if he doesn't? How could this be?

Not long after the first phone call, I received another call from a dear friend of mine. "My uncle is supposed to be at the Pentagon today. We don't know if he's there or not. Will you please pray for us?"

It all started weighing heavy on my heart. As the news was trying to make sense of it all, I prayed. I prayed for my uncle. For my friend's uncle. I prayed that somehow this would not be as big as what everyone was saying it would be.

Fortunately for our family, the nightmare only lasted for a few hours. By 11:00 am, my mom called and said that Kathy had heard from Doug, but he wasn't sure when he'd be able to come home. I was so thankful that he made it out of the tower.

My friend found out that his uncle did not go to the Pentagon that day, and I rejoiced with him.















Then I began wanting Josh to get home from class. I wanted to see him. I wanted to hold him and thank God for him. I wanted to go back to Owensville, my home town. I wanted to see my mom and dad and sister. I even wanted to see my in-laws! I just wanted so badly to tell everyone that I loved how much they meant to me. It all seemed so surreal, but it made me realize how quickly everything can change in our lives.

Everything did change for our country.

It is still is so vivid in my mind...I know it's still vivid in many minds across the world. Nine years have gone by, and yet, my heart is pounding as I write this. The reality of it all just gets to me.

What do you remember about that day?

Binky Be Gone

In just two short months, my sweet, third-born, baby boy will have to relinquish his most prized possession.
















Oh, yes. That's right. His binky.

I'm not sure when I made it up in my head that two-years-old is when it had to go. For Caleb, I let him have it until he was two-and-a-half. Then one of my friends said her dentist told her to take it away from her son, and since her son and Caleb were the exact same age, I figured I'd just go with it. I hated seeing it in his mouth anyway, especially for pictures.

For whatever reason, I didn't give Sarah that much time, and literally on her second birthday, I pulled the plug...er...took away the thing. It was not fun. It was grueling at times. It took forever for her to take a nap, tears streaming down her face, bedtime was no laughing matter either. But eventually she made the transition, and now she has been binky free for two years. No relapses.

I suspect it will be the same for my little guy. For the most part, he only gets to have it for nap time and bed time. Oh, and sometimes for van rides if I want to hear what my husband is saying to me. But every now and then, he starts whining and fussing and pointing to were he knows I keep it. Smart little turd. Sometimes I give in, sometimes I don't. And as the binky be gone day draws near, I tend to stand my ground even more.

As for my choice to give my kids a binky, that was a conscious decision on my part. I know moms who are glad that their kids can pacify themselves with their thumb, and if that works for the kid and the mom wants to endure the end of thumbsucking, then that's her prerogative. I knew I wanted to pull the plug...umm...take away the thing, and for me, I felt it would be far easier than a thumb.

Even though I know he'll look like this














for several days.

Sorry, Not Today.

When I wrote this post asking you to tell me what you felt it meant when someone says, "God answers prayer," I had it in my mind that I was going to disclose my feelings and include my struggles.

After I wrote an entry, probably the longest one I've ever written, I looked over it and I realized that it was not bringing honor to God and it's possible that it could cause others to stumble.

So I just can't share it.

I do agree with Joel's comment when he said, "I've learned that my prayers are so many times less about getting an answer to my questions and [more about] honoring Him with my time so that He can speak to me those words that He knows I need."

And I still cling to the words of this song:

I am not skilled to understand...what God has willed what God has planned. I only know at His right hand...stands One who is my Savior.

Hopefully I will gain wisdom in this area and will be able to share how I came through this time of confusion in my life.

But today is not that day.

Caleb's Commercials

One of my friends posted a new GEICO commercial on her facebook page last week, and knowing it would probably be funny, I clicked on it. Sure enough, I got a good chuckle. What I didn't realize is that Caleb would love it and ask me to watch it several times.



He memorized it.

He recites it.

It's so funny.

Then sometime on Friday, I heard him start making up his own. Sure enough, I was the target for one of them.

"Does switching to GEICO really save you 15% or more on car insurance? Does my mom spend way too much time on her blog?"

Truth hurts. But I about died laughing when I heard it!

Then I started to realize how smart it was the he understood the correlation of the two sentences. Both are supposed to be true. He's been inserting what he deems to be "true" statements inside his made up GEICO commercials.

Funny.

I'm really hoping he makes up one for Josh sometime. Maybe something like...

"Does switching to GEICO really save you 15% or more on car insurance? Does my dad forget to put his clothes in the laundry basket...thus making my mom cranky?"

Yeah, probably not that one. :o)

S'mores

I'm not sure I've ever had more fun...


















































































...on Labor Day!


Thanks B & L.