The Break

Well, Thanksgiving was not what I had hoped it to be.
I wanted a nice day (or two) for Lara.
Her first (and possibly only) Thanksgiving.
I was planning to take lots of pictures.
Make memories.
Good memories.

Things started out great.
Got up.
Enjoyed coffee with my hubby.
Watched the Macy's parade with the kiddos.
Facebooked and texted little messages to my extended family.
I was feeling good.
And blessed.

When Lara got up we said:
Happy Thanksgiving!
She looked at us like we were crazy.
She had never heard that phrase before.

Then, mid-morning.
I got sick.
Fine one minute.
Sick feeling the next.

An hour or so later.
Off went Ryan and the kids to his family's.
While I stayed home on the couch.
Calling my mommy.
(Who I had talked to on the phone earlier.
While I was feeling fine.)
Saying: I'm calling so you will feel sorry for me.

I'm pitiful.
I know.
But she came through.
Felt sorry for me.
Told my dad.
Who then felt sorry for me too.

By late Thursday night I was at least done
making frequent trips to the restroom.
Then more fun began.
12:00a.m. Ezzie.
2:30a.m. Ezzie.
3:30a.m. Ezzie.
4:30a.m. Jakie.
Good times.

Ryan and I were planning on Black Friday shopping.
A first for us.
That didn't happen.
We were disappointed.

But we were able to decorate Friday.
And Brookie managed to take a few pictures.

Ryan's mom bought this ornament for us.
It's still my favorite.
This year will be our 17th Christmas!Ezzie.My adorable girl.Looks just like her.She captured things beautifully.

I woke up Thursday morning.
Thinking about all my blessings.
Humming this:

Count your blessings.
Name them one by one.
Count your blessings,
see what God has done.
Count your blessings.
Name them one by one.
Count your many blessings,
see what God has done.

Thanking God for each of my many, many blessings.
Those blessings didn't change.
Even though I got sick.
But maybe that was one of God's blessings, afterall.
On one of the highest calorie consumption days of the year,
I had zero.
Surely I saved a pound or two.
A blessing indeed.

Pure Sweetness

I don't want him to grow up.
I ask him all the time to stop growing.

He told me today:
Mommy, I don't want to grow up,
but I have to.

He's right.
He has to.
So I'll just have to cherish every moment.

Every.
Single.
Moment.

'Tis the Season

For circling.
"EE" for Ezra."JE" for Jobe.And more importantly...
pointing.

Ok, let's start with this.Ummm.
Hang on a sec.
Gotta enjoy my sucker a moment.And then I'd like this.Wow!
That sucker is really good.
Another moment, please.Hmmm.
Let's see...Maybe this.Oh, forget it.
Just get me one of everything.And still more pointing...

I want that.Hello?
Mom.
Are you looking?That right there.He wants everything.
Would be happy with anything.
Well, as long as it's not a doll, anyway.
A pink Easybake Oven?
Oh, yeah.
That's circled.
But the dolls?
They are crossed out.
A big no-no.

Fingerprint Friday

Joining in late today.
It's been a crazy one!I Chronicles 29:11
Yours, LORD, is the greatness
and the power
and the glory
and the majesty
and the splendor,
for everything in heaven and earth is yours.

Each week Beki at therustedchain hosts Fingerprint Friday and uses a song by Steven Curtis Chapman as a springboard. Join in. It's a great way to be reminded of God's presence.

"CHiPs"

About 6:00 last night.
Erik Estrada walked into my house.
At least I sure thought it was him.

Ryan's growing his hair out.
I've been wanting him to do that for a long time now.
It's been pretty short since before we were married.
He got a little trim before he came home from work.
His barber said:
Just comb it back.
And blow dry-it a little.

It looked exactly like this:Ryan even had a tan polyester shirt on.
(He found it in KC.
At this great thrift store called savers.)
Anyway, all he needed was a badge.
A motorcycle.
And bigger teeth.
And the helmet.
The helmet might have smashed his hair down a little.
How did Ponch's hair stay so poofy?

Brookie and I just started laughing.
He said: I look like Erik Estrada, don't I?
He did not want me to take a picture of him.
He immediately went to the bathroom to fix it.

I giggled all day today.
Especially when I was looking for images of Ponch.
Jobie was sitting next to me, laughing:
Dat guy's hair is funny!

Officer Poncherello Ryan:
I think it's time to find a new barber.

Mail

Scary mail.
Why am I getting mail like this?Do they know something I don't know?
I get formula samples.
Diaper coupons.
Pamphlets about planning for my pregnancy.
Makes me panic a little.
Maybe even gag.

Not that each little one isn't a blessing.
I've just had enough blessings of that sort.
And my body certainly has had enough of those blessings.

Moving on now.
Non-scary mail.Germany mail.
Yummy mail.
Yummy Germany chocolate mail.It's apparently considered chocolate for kids.
But, oh my, it's good.
My favorite were the Happy Hippos.
Thin crunchy cookie on the outside.
Some kind of heavenly creamy filling inside.
All in the shape of a hippo.
Too bad they don't come in walrus shapes.
Then I might have understood
where Jobie's comment the other day came from.

The little boys like the chocolate eggs.
Crack them open.
There's a plastic yellow "yoke".
With little toys like these inside.Adorable.
The little dinosaur's head even wiggles.

Host a German student if you want some for yourself.
My kids will not share.
And I'm pretty sure I won't either.
We're selfish people.
When it comes to our chocolate.

Learning

I'm in a Bible study on Tuesday mornings.
We are studying this book:I never would have studied this on my own.
Not because I don't need to work on my speech.
Oh, no.

Because the cover is so terrible.
Look at it.
Ugly.

But the content.
The content is good.
Convicting.

Two verses that caught my attention:
Proverbs 12:18
Reckless words pierce like a sword,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Proverbs 31:26
She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

Soothing.
Peaceful.
Calm.

Those are words that come to mind.
Would my kids use those words to describe me?
I laugh at that thought.
And then I cry.
I am so far from that.

Too often the first part of Prov. 12:18 is me.
Reckless words.
Piercing.
Hurtful.

Quote from the book:
Where you go today
depends on what you say today.

I'm also going to say:
Where your kids go today
depends on what you say to them today.
or
Where your husband goes today
depends on what you say to him today.
and so on.

My speech affects everyone around me.
Are my words piercing or healing?

Learning is not always fun.
But I pray that this study is changing me.

Oktober Fest: Amerikan Style

We had a little Oktober Fest a couple of weeks ago.
In honor of Lara.

Ten things from the evening:
(which really have nothing to do with Oktober Fest at all)

1) We have A LOT of walnuts around the firepit.
We picked up 15 bags.
Great family bonding time.2) I like to cram as much as possible
on the left side of the table.
Leaving the right side available for...nothing.3) We've missed our firepit.
We hadn't used it since spring.
Crazy hot weather.
Stupid busy-ness.4) Jobie kinda' plays with his nose when he sucks his thumb.
And...
5) I like Lara's hair straight.
It's cute.
But it's cute curly too.6) My "planter" that I bought makes a pretty cool cooler.
Maybe it won't be a planter afterall.
And...
7) We go all out.
Big K root beer.
Only the good stuff for our friends and family.
We did have soft pretzels too.
It was Oktober Fest: root beer and pretzels.8) Ezra's a pyro.
Doesn't surprise us.9) My dad is great.
I have to say that.
He read my post from a week or two ago.
Yesterday.
(he's a little behind)
I'm pretty sure he doesn't read my blog.
Unless somebody points it out to him.
And someone did.
Thank you so much, whoever you are.
Dad won't tell me who.
But he gave me a phone call last night.
So now I have to be nice for awhile.
Christmas is coming, you know.10) Apparently our guests like to come in shifts.
Shift 1.Shift 2.So ends another exciting evening at the Entz's.

Our Motley Crew

Lara: kitty kat/tiger
Brookelynn: fashion disaster
(she threw it together in 5 minutes)
Jake: I'll explain in a moment
Ezra: Spiderman
Jobe: Batman

Jake's was my favorite this year.
And I think he actually liked it too.
(last year, I mentioned Jake's bad luck with halloween)

Friday night.
What should Jake be for halloween?
Both Ryan and I sitting with computers on our lap.
Looking for ideas.

Saturday night.
What should Jake be for halloween?
(with a little more urgency)
Ryan: Napoleon Dynomite
Run to Walmart.
All they have are black curly wigs.
No blonde.
Except for a Donald Trump one.
Ummm...no.

So I bought the black.
Not Napoleon.
But you take what you can get sometimes.

Since the wig was different,
we figured we might as well switch other things up a bit too.
Napoleon Dynomite.
Jake style. Ryan printed "Vote for Jake" from the computer.
Then Brookie traced it onto a plain white t-shirt we had.
And colored the the arm and neck bands.

Hilarious.
I love it!