Quick Update

On Saturday Jon and I took Anna and Will for their first official haircuts. We went to a place that specializes in kids - they got to sit in a jeep, watch kid videos, and eat lollipops while getting their hair cut. Sure it was a bit frivolous, but we thought it was worth it for the special occasion. Anna had a couple inches taken off, and amazingly didn't cry or fuss about it. And Will... my baby is a little boy now! He looks so different! He cried through the entire haircutting process, and I had to hold on to him to keep him from getting up, but Tanisha (haircutter extraordinaire) said he was really good compared with those kids who kick, scream, and bite!

Anna started a new preschool today at Savannah Christian Church where I used to be a member. We liked her other preschool, but it was new and it turned out they will not be adding a 4-year-old class next year, which we were hoping they would. So we started looking into schools for next year, attended an open house at SCC, and discovered they had openings for this year, which in turn gives us an advantage for next year's registration. Plus, we were impressed with their curriculum (next week Anna's class will go on a field trip to a fire station as they've been learning about fire stations, etc), and we liked the fact that school is four mornings a week instead of one. Jon and I think Anna will benefit from more frequent and more consistent school time both academically and socially (perhaps more important at this age to us, as Anna is quite socially reserved with peers and has not really made any good friends yet). So anyway, she said she had a good time today at school like it was no big deal (I think it was a bigger deal to me than to her). The teacher said the only thing Anna said the whole time was to ask for more snack at snack time (that's my girl!). But she'll get more comfortable as time goes on.

So that's our news for today. That, and I had a birthday! Happy Birthday to me! I went out to eat on three different occasions with various combinations of people... and one more birthday meal to come this weekend! It's fun to prolong the celebration!

The Sound of Music

"The hills are alive with the sound of music!" When was the last time you watched "The Sound of Music?" We watched it today as a matter of fact. And we listen to the soundtrack almost every time we get into our minivan to go somewhere. It is without a doubt Anna's favorite movie/music. She pretty much knows all the words to the songs (or her versions of the words at least... "Bee - a name I call myself"). Imagine riding along with an almost-four-year-old singing "I have confidence they'll put me to the test; besides which you see, I have confidence in me!" It is entertaining for sure!

Catalog People

Today I took Anna and Will to the mall to hang out. While we were looking at the fish in the aquarium at Bass Pro Shop, another mom approached with her two little ones. This wasn't just any ol' mom, though. She looked like she had stepped out of the pages of an L L Bean catalog. Now I have seen these catalog people types before, but what was so impressive today was that she had little L L Bean kids, too! Her little boy was maybe 3 years old, wearing his jeans and sweater, and donning a courduroy ivy cap (I had to look that up) with his neat little ponytail peaking out the back. The little girl was also perfectly dressed (less than a year old) with a cute little hat, and being carried in her mother's arms ever-so-nicely without wiggling or squirming or fussing at all. The woman didn't even have a stroller with her! I, of course, had our stroller along so Anna could ride and Will could push, with the added bonus that I can put stuff in the bottom basket. We were the perfect picture of all-American casual - more practical than stylish (but cute nonetheless!).

Really I only saw this woman maintain her picture perfection for all of 5 minutes, so who knows what really goes on... maybe 15 minutes later hats were thrown on the floor, the boy was whining for some candy, and the baby was crying with a leaky diaper. But I doubt it (the lack of stroller tells me this woman was not accustomed to such chaos). So hats off to catalog people (did I mention we didn't have any hats?)! Thanks for giving me something to puzzle over.

Pirates in the Square

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood... mid-70's with a slight breeze, pouffy clouds across the sky, and pirates in the square. Yes, pirates in the square. I was walking to my minivan after work this afternoon, strolling through one of the squares downtown where my office is located, and there in my path stood two pirates chatting. They were friendly enough (one never knows what to expect of pirates after all), greeting me with "Ahoy!" One of them commented that no one takes him seriously after I chuckled. Must be tough being a pirate these days. I'm not sure where these pirates came from, as I have never seen pirates around there before. Maybe they had strayed away from the Pirates' House Restaurant or maybe they hopped off a ship down at the river. It was fun to see them anyway!

Cows and Lost Stuff

Do you have an uncontrollable urge to moo when you drive past a bunch of cows in a field? Just wondering. Almost every time our family drives past cows, we all feel the need to moo... and in various pitches. Will has even begun to join in now that he understands the game. I've always had a fondness for cows - simple, peaceful creatures that they are. They have no pretenses. What you see is what you get.

Don't you hate it when things get lost? I hate that. Like when Anna loses a favorite little ring outside in the backyard. You know it's there somewhere, but you just can't find it. Or lost opportunities... things you could have, should have said or done, but now the moment is gone. Or lost people... through death or distance or circumstance... those who were or should be close to you are now out of reach, lost to you. All is not right with the world. No wonder Jesus came to seek and to save what was lost; lostness must tear at God's heart, too.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, everyone! Have you made any resolutions? I haven't had a chance to sit down and reflect on life yet to see what I want to do differently this year. But I do want to do something differently, or different. Maybe Jon and I will conquer some home improvements; maybe I'll take up a new hobby; maybe we'll actually take a vacation! Pretty exciting stuff there! Maybe I'll discover a secret method for getting your three-year-old to stop whining for good, market it to the world, and make millions! Hmm... I'd better get busy on that one.

Anyway, our Christmas was lovely, if a bit busy. Jon has family in town visiting so we've been spending lots of time with them, which is nice. Anna is very sad to see that some people are taking down their Christmas lights already ("but they're so pretty!"). Will is happy to play with his trains and trucks... and flashlight. Jon gave Anna and Will each a flashlight, and they love them! Will is funny because he hasn't mastered the idea that he controls where that circle of light shows up. The light will be pointed at the floor and he'll try to step on the circle, but then he inadvertently moves it and he can't figure out where it went, and then it mysteriously appears again. Quite comical!