Enjoying Bedtime Too Much...

Mike is out hitting golf balls with his brother, so I'm in charge of making sure the kids stay in bed. Normally, Daddy cracks the whip (figuratively, of course) whenever the boys get out of bed, but tonight it is just me, and the boys know my bark isn't Daddy's bite.

Well, after about 4 rounds of threats and justice carried out, they once again emerged from their room and found me here in the computer room. Caleb gleefully asks with a huge smile and holding in a giggle, "Mommy, can we have a spanking?" Matthew, giggling, tries to repeat the request in his babble.

I know you're not supposed to laugh when kids defy authority, but I really couldn't help busting up, and giggled with my happy boys down to their room...where they got what they wanted.

Halfway...

July is halfway over, and our TV experiment has sparked some interest among our friends.

So far, every day, Caleb has said "July is OVER!" Meaning, he can turn the TV back on. Well, each day, he finds out that July is at least one day longer than he wants it to be.

It actually hasn't been nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Dare I say it? We hardly notice it at all. Sometimes I crave the ability to let the TV babysit the kids for a bit, especially when company is about to come over so I can pick up, etc. But even in the end, we manage.

I have noticed that the boys are playing a lot more together now, and a lot more pretend play. And naptime continues to be a lot easier. Weird!

I am not ready to say that come August 1 we will keep the TV off forever, but I think we are much less TV addicts than we were a couple weeks ago. Let's hope it lasts till next summer!

Matthew Date

Okay, so this weekend was an especially lucky one...I got to go out on two dates with two of my favorite men. I don't think I've been so lucky since college...okay, I probably wasn't even that lucky then.

Mike took me out on Friday night where we enjoyed Kidd Valley burgers on Kirkland waterfront and then did Starbucks and cheesecake for dessert. Kinda low key, but I loved just having time to sit and chat and mutually try to think of another superlative for how we feel about Kristina.

Caleb now has swimming lessons on Saturday which frees up Mommy and Matthew (with baby in tow) to go to Starbucks and have a little date. Chocolate milk, coffee, and scone...and we had a blast. He isn't very communicative, but answered an affirmative "Yeah!" when I asked if he liked that fact that Caleb didn't come with us. Sometimes kids need a little one on one mommy time...I'm always happy to oblige.

Cousin Katie

Cousin Katie visited from Idaho. It is her first time seeing her newest cousin, Kristina. It was great having the cousins together.

Kristina is eating!

Well, she is now on rice cereal. A little early (5 months old), but the girl is hungrier than her milk producer can keep up with.

I heard an awesome trick about feeding a baby with your finger as a spoon, so they don't have to get used to the concept of eating and a spoon at the same time. It worked surprisingly well. Just a little messy.

Mike and I looked at each other with a twinge of sadness thinking that our little baby girl is already grown up enough to eat! These baby stages go by way too quickly!

Fourth of July

Today was one of those marvelous days that you just (mostly) enjoy your kids.



We spent the morning seeing the very anticipated "Wall-E". We had the t-shirts and had memorized the preview. Now before you all freak out in horror that the Dangs failed on their "No TV" promise by the 4th day, I will concede that we did plan to see this in July, and we determined ahead of time that it would be okay to watch this one movie.

However, the lack of dialog and the exciting presence of Cousin Colton proved a bit much for my little guys, and while I think they enjoyed it, and it was a good film, it wasn't as kid-friendly as "Cars" or "Finding Nemo". (Or maybe they are already out of practice at watching TV!)










We did the nap thing, and then went over to Downtown Bellevue Park to get a good seat for the fireworks. We were initially wary of taking the kids out for so long past their bedtime, but it worked out splendidly.

As Mike took the kids around to the playground, I had some time to reflect on the significance of this day. (And apparently take some photos of Kristina.)

I hope I can instill in my kids a sense of wonder and honor for the many valiant and brave Americans who have risked and continue to risk their lives for us. Our freedom, which I think can simply and poignantly be displayed in a community get-together like this with balloons, picnic blankets, hot dogs, and fireworks, is a precious thing. We may have our problems, but in the scheme of human history, it would be difficult to find a better country to live in than this Land of the Free, and the Home of the Brave.

God bless this land.

Reality Hits

Well, now Day 3 of no TV.

We're still making it (barely). Today was a recipe for trouble.

Kristina is sick with a fever which means no leaving the house to share unspecified virus with the rest of the community. (It also meant that we have to cancel our date night...bummer!)

It has been raining all day (but at least some pretty cool thunderstorms), but no going to the park either.

And my kids have finally figured out that "No TV" actually means no TV, DVDs, Toy Story, movie trailers on the Mac, library movies, etc. Amazing how a 2 and 3 year old can have such an expansive vocabulary for requesting entertainment.

I guess the silver lining is that if I can survive today, the rest of the month should be easier.

Never Let Go...

I guess this post falls under the category of "Things My Kids Did That I Don't Want to Forget" more than "Fascinating to the World"...

Matthew was very cranky getting in the car to pick up our produce box (we're trying a local organic produce program). He whined that he couldn't drive (yes, just 14 years shy of being able to.) He whined that his toe hurt. That 2 mile drive seemed an eternity...I cranked up the radio to compete with the moaning and crying.

The song "Never Let Go" came on which talks of how God always holds onto us no matter what the circumstance.

Suddenly, I realized that my son's complaints had turned to his singing along to the song, blaring as loud as he could "ne-ah et go! ne-ah et go! ne-ah et go-oh!"

My tears began to overflow...the first song he sang with the radio. And what a beautiful message...to know Matthew's life story is to know that God never has let go of him despite tremendous odds. If my little boy can know that God "never lets go"...Amen!

So here are the lyrics, maybe to bless someone now, but maybe for Matthew to read someday and know that these are for him.


When clouds veil sun
And disaster comes
Oh, my soul
Oh, my soul
When waters rise
And hope takes flight
Oh, my soul
Oh, my soul
Oh, my soul

Ever faithful
Ever true
You I know
You never let go
You never let go
You never let go
You never let go

When clouds brought rain
And disaster came
Oh, my soul
Oh, my soul
When waters rose
And hope had flown
Oh, my soul
Oh, my soul
Oh, my soul

Oh, my soul
Overflows
Oh, what love, oh, what love
Oh, my soul
Fills hope
Perfect love that never lets go

Oh, what love, oh, what love
Oh, what love, oh, what love
In joy and pain
In sun and rain
You’re the same
Oh, You never let go

Media Blackout!

Last year, we began a summer "tradition" that we hope to continue as our kids grow up. For a month, we turn off the TV.

Now, normally we do it in August (originally we were inspired to do it by Family Life), but since the Beijing Olympics are in August, and Mike and I are avid sports fans, we opted to do July this year.

Now, I try to not let the kids watch too much TV, but I have found that especially with 3 kids, TV can be a convenient way to get the kids to stay in the family room while I change Kristina or send an email. So ultimately, I think this is going to be hardest on Mommy, but I'm willing (at least here I'm saying this on the first of the month) to see if we can do it.

Mostly we do it to stretch ourselves to try to find other things to enjoy, especially each other.

So far, 15 hours into our experiment, Mommy is still holding fast, despite the fact that the boys took every book out of the three bookshelves while she was upstairs with Kristina. (Books are to read, not make a mountain with!) However, on the plus side, naptime was freakishly easier today. I can only hope it is somehow related to the TV thing, but who knows?

Guns

I've heard many people say that boys will make anything into a gun, so there isn't much point in trying to avoid them. I've heard a few creative ones before, but a sock and chopsticks?