Five Days of Books::2

This is another book I've recently read (thanks to my friend Jacquelyn).  Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer tells the story of a nine year old boy named Oskar Schell and his "heavy boots".  You see, Oskar lost his father in the September 11th World Trade Center attack and even though a few years have gone by, he is still dealing with the incredibly sad loss.  Oskar is an extremely bright little boy who likes to invent things, walk with his tambourine, make jewelry, and loves his mom and grandma very much.  One day Oskar finds a blue vase in his parents' bedroom that doesn't look familiar to him.  As he reaches for it, the vase breaks revealing a skeleton key and a piece of paper on which the word "Black" is written.  Oskar is sure that this key is a clue his father has left for him, and so Oskar embarks on an adventure to meet everyone in New York City with the last name  of "Black".  He is positive that one of these people might have known his father or provide information about his father that Oskar doesn't already know.  Along the way Oskar meets a variety of interesting people and in his searching he feels close to his father.  It gives him something to do-- to work toward.  As a side story, we are introduced to Oskar's paternal grandfather through a variety of journal entries and flashbacks that in the end mesh together with Oskar's story.  At times this book made me laugh, cry and sometimes feel like I had to read the page again because of the interesting way in which it is written.  It was like I too was looking for clues about Oskar's dad.  Oskar is an endearing character who like my own children I wanted to jump into the book and spank him and at other times hug him and tell him everything will be okay.  Will Oskar discover the "Black" mystery?  And will he be able to find some healing for his hurting heart?  I would definitely recommend this book to find out.

Five Days of Books::1

I thought that for something different, and as a challenge to myself to blog for 5 days straight, I would review five of the last few books that I have read.  I'll do one each day for five days.  I'll basically just give a brief overview of the plot and my opinion on whether I liked it or didn't like it  Please, please, please, if anyone else has read these, let me know your thoughts as well.  So without further ado, I give you book #1:

This book is the second home run for author Khaled Hosseini.  His first novel, The Kite Runner, was 

breathtakingly written in my opinion.  The books share many similarities, but also some stark 

differences.  For example, both books take place in Afghanistan during the 1970s through the 

early 2000s. They both involve the unsettling communist takeover in 1980 as well as the 

horrible years of Taliban rule.  However, unlike the main characters in The Kite Runner, 

A Thousand Splendid Suns casts Afghan females in the lead roles which I greatly enjoyed.  

This novel weaves together two stories in a beautiful and terrifying way. 

Mariam and Laila are two women from very different backgrounds and are brought together 

by the horrors of war.  Together they suffer hardships, develop a deep and lasting friendship, 

and make life changing decisions.  The book is filled with sorrow, hope,joy, love, 

revenge, loyalty and sacrifice.  I started reading this book on a Thursday evening and finished it with 

teary eyes on Saturday morning.  I simply couldn't put it down.  Being a woman, a wife and a 

mother, I empathized with these two characters in a very deep way.  The novel was also 

fast-paced and each chapter left me dying to know what would happen next.  

I would find myself thinking, "Just one more chapter.  Okay one more,"

I absolutely recommend this book as well as Hosseini's other novel, The Kite Runner.  

Both are excellent reads.

In September 2004...

I got a new driver's license.   I was 7 months pregnant with my twin girls.  I was still teaching sixth grade at Piedmont Middle School.  We lived in a cute 3 bedroom 1 bathroom house in The Village.  We didn't have an SUV.  Mike was working at Lifechurch.  In other words....life was a lot different just four short years ago!  

I thought about all this today because it was time for me to renew my driver's license.  For some reason, I remember the last time I had it done four years ago so very clearly.  I remember which tag agency I went to.  I remember which maternity top I was wearing.  I remember the slight chill in the air that sunny Saturday.  Why do I remember these things?  I have no idea.  Sometimes random days stick out vividly in my mind for no apparent reason.  The only thing I can think of is that looking back on that random day four years ago, I see how quickly life can change.  Four years really isn't that long ago and so much has changed.  When I look at that list above I see that:

Then:  7 months pregnant  Now:  not pregnant

Then:  teaching  Now:  not teaching

Then:  old house  Now:  new house

Then:  no SUV  Now:  one SUV 

Then:  Mike at Lifechurch  Now:  Mike at Ethnographic Media

Basically every big thing in our life has changed in the last four years!  I wonder what will have changed in four years when I go to renew my license again.  It's exciting to think about!  

Look! Watch!

"Watch this mom!  Look at our silly faces!!"

(This being said after they discovered my make-up bag!)

Look and Watch. Those are probably the two words I hear most often throughout my day right now.  I don't know if it's a 3.5 almost 4 year old thing or if it's just my girls, but they want me to look and watch everything.  I really don't mind watching most of what they want to show me.  They will carefully build a castle with their blocks and want me to, "Come see!" So I'll gladly oblige.  Of if they eat every last bite of food on their plate, they proudly hold it up and want me to, "Look Mommy!"  I'll always smile and make a bit deal about it.  They want me to watch them ride their tricycles, draw a picture, put on their clothes correctly, or help me fold the laundry (they are getting very skilled at hand towels and washcloths I might add).  I know that it is normal for them to want my approval, and I'll happily give it at these moments.

And then there are the times like when I'm driving down the road and they want me to turn around and watch them make their stuffed Simba toy dance to the song on the radio--the whole song.  I've tried to explain that I cannot turn around to watch them and continue to drive forward.  This fact just doesn't satisfy them I'm afraid, and their pleas become more frantic and high pitched, "LOOOOK!!! MOMMY!!!"  Or there are the times when we are running ten minutes late and are trying to get out the door when someone will call out, "Watch Mom!" And when I turn around all my little child wants to show me is: make a silly face, twirl around and bend over and kiss our cat lying on the floor. Then a few minutes later when I'm trying to get her to brush her teeth she wants me to watch her make her toothbrush pretend to burp. These are the not so thrilling things that end up irritating me and make me want to scream sometimes!  

But I thought about it and realized that the girls are not the only ones in my life calling out for me to Look! and Watch! I just started up my women's Bible study last week after the summer break, and I'm so excited to dive back into God's Word on a more regular basis.  How often He is calling out for me to Look! at His word so he can speak to me in a new and fresh way.  Many times I ignore that call because I'm just "too busy" or "too tired."  Just like with my girls, I need to devote quality time to look at scripture and to meditate on it.  Watching for what speaks to my heart.  Truly looking for Him.

But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find Him if you LOOK for Him with all your heart and with all your soul.  Deuteronomy 4:29

The Lunch Slump

Lunch.  It's a meal that for 8 years I packed for myself every single day because I refused to eat in the middle school cafeteria (have you seen what they are feeding those kids??).  It's a meal that I didn't have to really think about for my own children during the first 2.5 years of their lives because A) they were babies and eating from a bottle or B) they were babies and eating baby food from a jar or C) they went to daycare where lunch was always provided for them.  

But now that I am a stay at home mom, the issue of what to make for lunch? looms over my morning like a dark cloud. You see, it is incredibly difficult to find a food that both my children will eat.  There are only three foods that are happily consumed by both of my girls.  Chicken nuggets, fish sticks, and cheese pizza.  That's it.  Oh what about a good old PB&J you ask? Hannah likes those, but not Leah.  Macaroni and cheese?  Leah will delightfully eat a bowl full while Hannah turns her nose up.  Spaghetti?  Just Hannah.  Hot dogs?  Just Leah.  Grilled cheese?  Just Hannah.  And the list goes on and on.  Now I will say that when it comes to the "sides" for a quick lunch there are more options-- apple slices, grapes, yogurt, and various crackers are equally enjoyed by both.  And for that I an grateful.  I think I've just been in a lunch slump lately.  Uninspired and frustrated with the task of finding something that will be a crowd pleaser-- myself included!

So, if you have any go-to, kid friendly, on the healthy side, lunch ideas-- send them my way.  Let's make lunch a peaceful meal again shall we?  No more weeping and gnashing of teeth (from me or my girls!)  =).

Baby A

This is my sweet Baby A.  My firstborn (by one minute).  My Leah Rae.  My little Bee.

 

Once a week my mom keeps one of my girls overnight so that she can spend some special time with one while I spend special time with the other.  We've been doing this for about a month now and I so enjoy these one on one dates with my girls.  This week it was Leah's turn to have Mommy all to herself.  We started our morning together eating her favorite breakfast of frozen waffles and vanilla yogurt.  My Baby A is a simple kind of girl who knows what she likes. We then went to the library at her request because she loves to read.  We had a great time picking out books.  In fact, we had a few tears because we couldn't check out the stack of 20 books that she pulled out to read, but my Baby A can quickly pull it together and happily settled on 7 books to take home and "show Daddy and Hannah."  When we left the library hand in hand, she looked up at me and said, "I love reading with you Mama."  Oh it's mutual, my dear.  

After the library trip we went across the street to the playground.  I pushed her in the swing for awhile, then she wanted out so she could explore some of the equipment on her own.  I watched from a park bench as she tested her independence a bit. My Baby A is not afraid to try new things.  I love this about her.  Probably because I never seemed to have her sense of adventure until I was older.  

My Leah Rae came into this world first, and during my entire pregnancy the doctor referred to her as "Baby A".  I wondered what kind of little girl Baby A would be, and have discovered that she is a tenderhearted, funny, sensitive, stubborn, helpful, creative, independent, grateful and kind little girl.  I am loving this adventure of discovering who she is and wouldn't trade it for the world.


At the library looking at the fish.


Playing at the park.


Gosh, I love this girl.

Labor Day 1996 Eventually Led to This......

Well, not immediately, but nearly three years later on June 4, 1999 we got married. You see, Mike and I officially met at a Labor Day party when I was a mere 19 years of age and he was only 20. It was the beginning of my sophomore year at OBU and Mike had just transferred in as a junior. A few of my college friends and I (who were always looking for a reason to have a party) decided that Labor Day was as good as any day to have a cookout/swim party at my aunt's house in Oklahoma City. So we invited everyone we knew and those people invited people that they knew and before you knew it about 25 people showed up that day including this tall, dark, mysterious artist from New York. I was intrigued by him and was determined to know more about him. So I spent the day trying to talk to him. He was shy, but polite and we connected right away. After a few more "group dates" in the weeks to come, we finally had our first offical date on September 22, 1996. And, as they say...the rest is history! I'm so glad Mike ended up at that Labor Day party. Every year I'm reminded of that fact!