I sat down at the piano a few days ago to work on some music and was greeted by this happy fellow. That is little snippet of my life. I never know when or where I will find lego men. Or trashies. Or matchbox cars. When Liam was really little, Craig would often start to put on his work boots just to pull his foot back out because it was full of whatever small toys Liam had been playing with that day. It reminds of me of a very funny story my sister told me years ago. Long before we had funny kid stories to share back and forth. They kept a large bag of dog food in a bathroom closet and on the shelf overhead was where my brother in law kept his golf shoes. One day he went to get those shoes and they were completely full of dog food! Little mice and little boys can be very busy creatures!
For about two years Liam has kept his money in the green helmet. But last week he decided to move his account. He is now doing his banking from the Ninja Turtle bucket. I don't know yet if it has a better interest rate. Recently he wanted to go buy himself a lego set. The only problem is he was down to about $5 in quarters and two $1 bills. We tried to explain to him that it just was not enough for legos. He asked me to cut some paper up and he told me about how big he wanted it. Had I seen where this was going I would have objects. I cut him up all these pieced of paper and he proceeds to color them and draw a picture in the middle. He was printing his own money!!
This picture was taken before he finished or I would have waited. And if you cannot tell, this is an $11 dollar bill. Because he was convinced that since two ones make 11 he did not have $2, he had $11. If only you could actually take his reasoning to the bank! So like I was saying, he set to work creating all these dollars. And each piece of paper had a different dollar amount on it. The highest one 3, 101, 001. And we had a heck of a time convincing him that no store would take his money. He said yes they would...Walmart would! It is hard when you are having fun with something that seems so innocent and in the end the child is crying and you have had to raise your voice to get it through their head that NO, the money will not be accepted in any store. His little heart was so sad I was playing scenarios over in my mind...okay...we go, he gets something, I make sure and stand behind him when he gives his 'money' to the cashier. I discreetly hold up my money, he/she has little siblings or children of his/her own and understands what needs to be done. Pretend, pretend, pretend. But Craig threatened discipline and a few tears later Liam had moved on to other things.
And here is a very heartwarming snippet of our life. My two men emptying the dishwasher. And I didn't even have to ask!
This picture should have been a couple posts ago but here it is now. We don't celebrate Easter in the traditional sense. We acknowledge Christ rising from the dead but not eggs and bunnies and things like that. So this was Liam's uneaster basket. I am sure you can recognize his current bank. And that sheepy is his favorite stuffed thing along with bomb guy. You know...bomb guy...the strange green thing I showed you in the last post.
Not much else has been going on. After a round of antibiotics my sinus infection is gone. So happy to not have that pressure and pain! Though I am still struggling with nasal congestion, I am pretty sure it is because of all the afrin use in the last two months. But sadly there is just nothing strong enough over the counter to clear my nose so I can breath at night without stuffiness. I am thinking I will need to sleep in the recliner for a couple nights and hopefully get the need for afrin out of my system in the process. But one good thing...I realized yesterday evening that I had been puttering and working all day! That is more like my normal self. And that is not how I have been for quite a while! So that is good news! Now my house might once again look like someone loves it! I am shocked how many things I have not dusted in all this time!
I have done nothing in my garden. I weeded the front yard but haven't even stepped in the back yard for any more than rosemary in months. Last year the honeycrisp apple tree gave me over 60 pounds of apples. This year I saw only a handful of tiny little beginnings. But strangely the tree only had a handful of blossoms! Only a couple branches and only a couple on those branches. It was very strange. The Braeburn is fabulous like it is early every year. It was covered in blossoms and now is covered in tiny fruit. But it aborts all but a dozen or so every year and then the leaves turn black and curl. Somehow I have got to figure out how to treat it. The pear tree is looking great but has no baby pears on it. The plum tree looks horrible. It had leaf curl last year but not all the leaves. This year there is not a normal leaf on it. And most of the leaves are tiny, curled and dried out. I will be taking samples to a nursery that I trust in Salem next week and hopefully getting this taken care of. I have called every tree company in the area and none will come out for such a small job. Really upsets me!
I am thinking tomorrow will be the day to work out back. Thankfully, due to end of season spraying, the walkways have very little weeds!!! I mean only a spattering to deal with! And since we covered all but three of the beds last fall, there is very little work involved in getting the beds ready either. And now that the weather appears to be unseasonably nice and here to stay I am feeling the need to get the patio cleaned and set up. Possibly tomorrow.
I am sure all of you have heard about Pastor Saeed Abedini, an American who has been held in an Iranian prison for over two years. He is suffering from injuries caused by beatings in prison and his health is deteriorating. Daily he is psychologically tortured to recant his faith. Mr. Obama met with his wife who lives in Idaho and assured her that Pastor Abedini would be his top priority during the Iranian Nuclear talks. Today it was announced that Mr. Obama will veto anything coming through Congress regarding Pastor Abedini's release. This American Pastor, along with four other Americans being held in Iranian prisons right now, need our prayers! Sadly, they have no hope in Mr. Obama. He says what people want to hear and gives hope, all the while crossing his fingers behind his back. He cares for nothing but his own agenda or that of his handlers and he cares for no one but himself. Please remember these men in prayer that God would move the leadership of Iran to free them.
I will leave you with a parting shot of spring....what spring is complete without a deranged Robin attacking himself in your laundry room window?!
Not much else has been going on. After a round of antibiotics my sinus infection is gone. So happy to not have that pressure and pain! Though I am still struggling with nasal congestion, I am pretty sure it is because of all the afrin use in the last two months. But sadly there is just nothing strong enough over the counter to clear my nose so I can breath at night without stuffiness. I am thinking I will need to sleep in the recliner for a couple nights and hopefully get the need for afrin out of my system in the process. But one good thing...I realized yesterday evening that I had been puttering and working all day! That is more like my normal self. And that is not how I have been for quite a while! So that is good news! Now my house might once again look like someone loves it! I am shocked how many things I have not dusted in all this time!
I have done nothing in my garden. I weeded the front yard but haven't even stepped in the back yard for any more than rosemary in months. Last year the honeycrisp apple tree gave me over 60 pounds of apples. This year I saw only a handful of tiny little beginnings. But strangely the tree only had a handful of blossoms! Only a couple branches and only a couple on those branches. It was very strange. The Braeburn is fabulous like it is early every year. It was covered in blossoms and now is covered in tiny fruit. But it aborts all but a dozen or so every year and then the leaves turn black and curl. Somehow I have got to figure out how to treat it. The pear tree is looking great but has no baby pears on it. The plum tree looks horrible. It had leaf curl last year but not all the leaves. This year there is not a normal leaf on it. And most of the leaves are tiny, curled and dried out. I will be taking samples to a nursery that I trust in Salem next week and hopefully getting this taken care of. I have called every tree company in the area and none will come out for such a small job. Really upsets me!
I am thinking tomorrow will be the day to work out back. Thankfully, due to end of season spraying, the walkways have very little weeds!!! I mean only a spattering to deal with! And since we covered all but three of the beds last fall, there is very little work involved in getting the beds ready either. And now that the weather appears to be unseasonably nice and here to stay I am feeling the need to get the patio cleaned and set up. Possibly tomorrow.
I am sure all of you have heard about Pastor Saeed Abedini, an American who has been held in an Iranian prison for over two years. He is suffering from injuries caused by beatings in prison and his health is deteriorating. Daily he is psychologically tortured to recant his faith. Mr. Obama met with his wife who lives in Idaho and assured her that Pastor Abedini would be his top priority during the Iranian Nuclear talks. Today it was announced that Mr. Obama will veto anything coming through Congress regarding Pastor Abedini's release. This American Pastor, along with four other Americans being held in Iranian prisons right now, need our prayers! Sadly, they have no hope in Mr. Obama. He says what people want to hear and gives hope, all the while crossing his fingers behind his back. He cares for nothing but his own agenda or that of his handlers and he cares for no one but himself. Please remember these men in prayer that God would move the leadership of Iran to free them.
I will leave you with a parting shot of spring....what spring is complete without a deranged Robin attacking himself in your laundry room window?!
He kept this up for about two hours. Took a 45 minute break and then was back at it for another hour one day two weeks ago. There was another bird (don't know what type) sitting on the clothes line which is just to the left of the window, watching this Robin almost the whole time. It was rather funny. I wonder what was going on in that other birds mind?
I will leave you with a Liamism: I am thinking it will be really hard to top the one in my last post. But here is something really cute he does.....Every time he goes doo doo he has to totally take off his pants and underwear. Not just slide them down his legs. Totally off. Public restroom, private restroom, our restroom....totally off. So I started noticing something recently. Whenever he puts them back on after having gone doo doo his underwear are on inside out and backwards. Every single time! I have no idea how he manages that. No it doesn't feel strange and no it is not uncomfortable.
Someday...and when it happens it will be too soon, he is not going to need my help getting his underwear on right. These memories will be so treasured when that time comes.
I will leave you with a Liamism: I am thinking it will be really hard to top the one in my last post. But here is something really cute he does.....Every time he goes doo doo he has to totally take off his pants and underwear. Not just slide them down his legs. Totally off. Public restroom, private restroom, our restroom....totally off. So I started noticing something recently. Whenever he puts them back on after having gone doo doo his underwear are on inside out and backwards. Every single time! I have no idea how he manages that. No it doesn't feel strange and no it is not uncomfortable.
Someday...and when it happens it will be too soon, he is not going to need my help getting his underwear on right. These memories will be so treasured when that time comes.