Paint and Cub Scouts

For my church, I was asked a couple years ago to be an assistant leader for the Bear Den. Yes, for all those who are as clueless as I was, that is a part of the Cub Scouting program for 9 year-old boys. These past couple years have truly tested my patients. Growing up in a family full of girls, little boys are quite foreign to me. I think this calling in the church has helped me know what I have to look forward to with Peter. Sigh.
Today, the other leader, Heidi, had planned an activity for the Cub Scouts to paint some ornaments. Sure, it seemed simple and innocent enough when we started, but by the end of the hour there was paint on their clothes, floor, and even on one cub scouts lips. They had a great time! After 1 hour, it was time for the boys to go home. There was one kink in the process, however: their ornaments were not quite dry. As the good leaders we are, Heidi and I held their ornaments while they bundled up in their coats (getting ready for their walk home). We gave them their ornaments and told them to be careful. As the last boy left, Heidi and I gave a sigh of relief as we vowed to ban paint from all other den meetings. About 20 seconds later we hear, "I've got paint on my coat!" Both of us, armed with wipes in hand, quickly scrub the paint off, hoping to avoid angry mothers for staining winter clothes. No sooner had he left, when the whole process was repeated again!
Finally, after cleaning everything up, I step outside to get into my car when I hear one of the boys yell out, "Hey guys, hop in and get a ride!" My inside voice yelled, "not in my car with wet paint you don't!", but for some reason a weak smile appeared instead.
As they all piled in, ornaments were, yes, dropped, and yes, I had to scrub more paint out of the same boys coat for the third time before we were able to take off. It was yet another adventure, as always, at our weekly den meetings.

A Baby for Christmas

Our family waited in anticipation last Saturday morning, especially Peter, for 10:00 when Santa was making a personal appearance at a pavilion in our little town. As we watched the time go by, I asked Peter, "What are you going to tell Santa you want for Christmas?"
Peter responded, "A Baby."
Well, this was news to me! I tried to clarify, saying, "You mean, like a brand new baby in our home?"
"No MOM, I'm not talking about that!" he impatiently said (Whew!).
So, try as he may, I couldn't quite get what he was talking about. However, 10:00 came and a bit later we eventually made it out the door to visit Santa. Santa, who even knew Peter's name, asked him what he wanted for Christmas. Peter responded, "Baby Jesus". Ahhh. You know, those are the moments that make this job called Parenting worth it.

Ahhhh, Spring!

So, I'm actually starting my own blog. Well, to be truthful, my sister set up a blog site for me, but the site has just been sitting without any posts for months now. So, I should rephrase my statement to, "I'm actually posting in my very own, not too new blog!" For those of you who truly know me, you will understand what a feat this is for me because I am completely computer illiterate and spend very little time on th computer. However, "blogspot.com" has captivated my attention lately and with enough outside influences I've decided to bite the bullet and give it a shot. So, that said, I've thoroughly been enjoying my flowers this spring I planted as bulbs last fall, and I've been thinking...

I heard this saying once,
"If of thy mortal goods thou art bereft, and from thy slender store two loaves alone to thee are left, sell one and with the dole buy Hyacinths to feed thy sole."
It has since stuck with me over the years. Every spring when I smell a Hyacinth I think, “This truly does feed my soul!” There is something to be said about the beauties of this earth, and how priceless they are to our overall health and well-being. I love spring as I see and smell the flower bulbs in bloom, see tree buds swelling and ready to blossom, robins catching worms, and hear children’s laughter filling the air after being cooped up all winter. What could be better?