My little Laughter,

I tried hard to slow this year so I could savor the last of your toddler years, but with just a blink I'm here writing to you, my new four year old.

This year you have planted seeds with your toes and learned to ride a bike.
This year you have learned to sign I love you, our family's way of kissing each other good bye.
This year you have started preschool our focus being Romanian and Bible.
This year you have begun the journey of knowing God.

Your imagination runs wild.
You live life with all that you are.
You are full of passion.
You are quick to forgive and quick to throw a punch.
You bring a smile to virtually every one who passes by you.
You lavish love onto those dear to your little heart.

 Here are some of my favorite conversations you and I have had this year...

...At dinner you looked at me and said, "How are you beautiful?"
...I suggested one night that we have chicken, rice, and beets for dinner, you responded with, "NOOOO! Just beets nothing else.  I love beets."
...I told you that you couldn't do something and you said, "Alright but what if.." I interrupted you with, "No buts I don't want you to do that no matter what."  You grabbed your butt and said, "Okay I wont use my butt, but what if I just..."
...You climbed the wrong side of the stairs trying to reach a shelf that had ping pong balls on it.  Then you realized you couldn't get back down so you began yelling, "Help me I'm going to die!  Help me!"  As I helped you down you said, "Thanks Momma you saved my LIFE, I almost died!"

My prayer for you this year is that you will continue to love like there is no tomorrow, and forgive just as quickly as you do now.  I pray you'll hold back your punches long enough to decide if they are well deserved.  I pray that you as you grow you will keep that kind of faith in God that comes so naturally to you.

I love you all the way up to heaven and back.

P.S. I love that you enjoy a good cup 'o joe.

A rose washed a shore.

Found this on our last EFA, I imagine the story behind this rose went something like this:

Bye-bye love I'll catch ya later, got a lead foot down on my accelerator with the review mirror torn off.  I ain't ever looking back. And that's a fact

I've tried all I can't imagine.  I've begged and pleaded in true lovers fashion.  I've got pride and I'm taking if for a ride.

Bye-bye, bye-bye my baby, bye-bye.

~Jo Dee Massina

Quotes from the kidlets.

~ Me to Laughter, "Can you stay small forever?" Him, "I have to grow big, but I'll stay small as long as God wants me to."

 

~ You know you're a Momma of boys when you say, "Don't get stuck under the couch." As if everybody hangs out underneath the couch...

~ The boys have a wooden cat puzzle, after Man of the woods put it together he took the cloth bag it goes in and said in a deep voice, "And I'm pretending this is an alligator that's going to eat the cat."...Boys.

~ Laughter, "Wow, that's how I do that." I asked him what he was talking about and he should me he had broken a nail. I went to fix it, but her said, "Oh no don't take it off. I want to show Si and Dad."...As I type he's trying to break another nail...

~ As Strong man and I were talking Laughter using his manners said, "Excuse me Shan"

~ Strong man to the boys, "Okay Shadrach, Meshach to bed you go." Laughter responded, "We're not those guys they were thrown in the fire."

~ As Laughter put on his super hero mask he said, "The cape is your responsibility to put on me."

~ At dinner he looked at me and said, "How are you beautiful?"

~ As I told Strong man I was going to take a bath Man of the woods said, "In the bath tub? Oh Momma you're going to love it!" Laughter said he would get it ready for me, but when I pointed out that he would get his clothes wet he said, "That's okay Mommy I'll just take them off and take a bath with you."...Umm I don't think so, but thanks anyway.

~ I suggested that we have chicken, rice, and beets for dinner. Laughter said, "NOOOO! Just beets nothing else. I love beets."...It's true he does.

~ I told Laughter he couldn't do something and he said, "Alright but what if..." I interrupted him and said, "No buts I don't want you to do that no matter what." He grabbed his butt and said, "Okay I wont use my butt, but what if I just..."

~ Warning potty talk about to happen: Laughter: Mommy do you want to see and smell my organized poop?...

~ Laugher climbed the wrong side of the stairs trying to reach a shelf that had ping pong balls on it but then realized he couldn't get back down so he began yelling, "Help me I'm going to die! Help me!" As I helped him down, "Thanks Momma you saved my LIFE I almost died!"

~ Strong man to Laughter; Where did you learn to hug like that?
Laughter: Sunday school.

~ A recent conversation I was told about:
MOW: Oh crap I forgot my wallet.
Laughter: Oh crap we forgot our wallets again!
Nana: Are you boys supposed to use that word?
MOW: Oh yes, when it is something important. Forgetting our wallets is important.
Laughter: Oh crap we forgot our wallets.

~ Laughter to me as the three guys were about to go into town: I changed my mind I'm going to stay here with you because girls need protecting. Oh wait it's winter and there's nothing out there in the winter except polar bears and they don't live in Maine so you will be safe. So I'm going to go with Daddy.

~ In the store Strong Man and Man of the woods went one way while Laughter and I went the other. Shortly there after I heard a four year old voice saying, "Shandy Warren Hodsdon, where are you?"...Funny kid.

~ Allowing a 3 and 4 year old to spend the evening in there underwear is like telling them they get to meet Batman...Crazy excitement that was only slightly deflated when I said they still had to put there dirty clothes in the hamper.

A week of slowing, day 4, the last day.

Day four is actually the beginnings of my work week, and so ending this week of slowing.  We stepped back into reality: Piles of laundry, early naps for over tired boys, and a short nap before work for me as well.

But not before the boys and I spent some quality time in the drive way practicing our archery skills, getting excited, laughing, and searching for many arrows in the grass.

A simplistic ending to our week.  Hearts refreshed and love tanks full.

A week of slowing, day 3, EFA 3.10

Family day is in a close running for the best day of the week, only competing with Monday date nights.  Usually we all wake up spend some extra time in our pj's while we sip coffee and eat cinnamon buns.  This week we all were wide awake by 6:30 some of us had been awake for at least an hour before that.  While the last thing either Strong man and I want to do is wake that early on our family days, we did see a great opportunity to go to our favorite breakfast place.  They have cozy booths, great food served in large quantities with fantastic prices.

We ran some errands catching up on just a wee bit of life and then enjoyed a night with friends.

Gifts:
~ Camp coffee made by our besties, may be the worlds best drink.
~ Little boys who drink the last few sips and a big boy who enjoys whole cups.
~ Friends who bring safety and rest.

~ Summer dinners out on the deck.
~ Friends to share it with.
~ Conversations of the heart and conversations of nothing.

~ Secretly listening into boy conversations.
~ The smell of campfires.
~ The oldest boy a fantastic role model to the younger ones.

~ Laughter's photo eye.
~ Sitting around the campfire.
~ Baby girl being passed around.

 

A man of too many friends comes to ruin, but there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother.

~ Proverbs 18:24.

A week of slowing, day 2

I was planning on going to the beach with some friends and then going to a weekly gathering created so we can simply spend time with friends.

Instead I canceled on both.  It's been a while since I've slept well and my heart is weary so I decided it would be better to stay home and maybe find some extra rest.

It was good.  My body, my soul, my whole being needed it.

The boys and I turned there slide into a water slide landing them in the kiddie pool.

As they played I sat watching, savoring, healing.  It was good.

I said, "Oh, that I had wings like a dove!  I would fly away and be at rest."

~ Psalms 55:6

A week of slowing, Day 1

Monday night date night.

Usually we go out for dinner but what we do afterwards varies sometimes we take a walk, or sip coffee, or spend hours at the bookstore coveting and adding to our never ending list of books to read, or we go to our favorite pub that serves the best pies, and every once in a while we go to the movies.

But this week neither of us really felt like going out.  Nana and Grandpa agreed to come get the kidlets, while we got out dice, little lead men, the game board and began battling each other.

On "brotherhood" nights they play these role playing games that I happen to really like as well.  The only down side is that I'm at work for most of the night so I end up joining in as the slowest, weakest character when I finally do get home.

But being married to the game master I have extra time to play catch up.  So on Monday I ate cherries, rolled dice and began building my blacksmith, vagabond-in-training-to-be-an-assassin, and Skadi up.  I won the battle and the next two but have been warned that from here on out he will not go easy on me.  To which I say, "Bring it."

I am secretly a bit of a geek, and Strong man loves me for it. 

Cats for sale! 50 cents a cat!

Not only does our Laughing little warrior laugh a lot, but he also coughs a lot.  We've spent the winter trying to figure out if he has asthma or allergies or both or if his coughing was just the remnants of the pertussis he had last fall.  Turns out he has both asthma and allergies probably exasperated by the damage the pertussis left behind.



See the top right spot that looks like a bug bite with some redness, that's where he was being tested for cats.  This picture is taken at the very beginning of the test. Turns out it's a pretty severe allergy.

The specialist we saw did nothing but praise our pediatrician for how well he is taking care of Laughter, giving him the best medications.  Even so Laughter is allergic to cats, dust mites, and milk (still).  With those allergies the only change we can make is to find our cats a new home.  And even then we may not notice a difference.

We went on a mini golf date after the test was over.

As we've told the boys we care most about them and protecting them, even though it may not make a difference if our house is cat free there's still a chance that it will.  So We're preparing to say goodbye to our very loved kitties.

Shadow monster!

Meet Stewart (named after the cream soda) and Sophia, brother and sister. While they both are very friendly there personalities are night and day to each other.

Sleepy kitty.

The phrase, scaredy cat, was invented because of Stewart, he runs from everything initially. He enjoys people when they are calm and quiet. While his sister lives true of the saying, curiosity kills the cat, she enjoys the boys and will stay just out of reach teasing them when they try to get her.  If one of us is sitting or in bed often times she'll be right there begging for some attention and every night she curls up to sleep next to me.

 

 

Even though there personalities are so different just like any set of siblings they are very protective of each other.  When Sophia has gotten herself locked in a closet or some kind of trouble Stewart lets us know with his funny little meowing, continuing until we follow, always finding that his sister has gotten herself in quite the predicament...They are indoor cats and have been neutered, declawed, and are litter box trained.

 

 

To quote this boy, "Oh I love Sophia so much!  She's my best friend!"  This has not been an easy choice, but all four of us are decided it's time to find our kitties a new home.  Oh and we won't really charge 50 cents, just a promise that they'll be loved well.  Let me know if you're interested.