Teenage Boys

There are currently three teenage boys in my kitchen making Gobi Aloo (indian Caulifower) and Chicken Tika Masala. I've died and gone to heaven. First of all they are making dinner. Secondly, Indian food is the-bom-diggity.

Teenage boys are one of my favorite breed of people. So far they have been annoyed, amused, antagonistic and confused with each other. In about 5 minutes. They don't give a whole lot of weight to their own emotions, let alone anyone else's which makes them easier to parent in some respects. Obviously, in other ways that's very challenging. The other day Em came in the door, clearly upset from her car ride home. Dad just looked at me like, "I don't know how to help her or you with this one" and big brother just looked at me and rolled his eyes,  beacon of sensitivity, that child. So I pulled the tearful girl into my bedroom to chat and discovered the source of her hurt: big brother knew he had pushed her, knew it had hurt her ankle and he just didn't care. "Mom, it's like sometimes I feel like he doesn't even care how I feel" to which I took a deep breath, looked her square in the face and let her in on a little secret. "He doesn't." After recovering from her initial shock, she giggled and so did I. But we went on to discuss how boys and girls are just so very different and while he brother may not care about her feelings all the time, he does love her very much. She decided it was okay to think teenage boys are weird, and I agreed that was sometimes true.

I hear mama's of teenage sons bemoan the changes in their offspring that begin sometime around 11 and I empathize. But let me offer some encouragement: as you stare into the x-boxing, headphone wearing, illegible handwriting, testosterone producing son who has taken your "little buddy's" place, don't miss out on the good. You have the unique privilege of guiding that boy into becoming the man God created him to be. As he flexes muscles in the kitchen you get to affirm that he will be such a great strong protector of his family one day. As he leaves a trail of really stinky socks around the house, you get to teach him about "living considerately" so as one day to be a kind husband.And on and on. It's such a joy as some of what you teach them begins to take root. And, the bigger joy, I promise, is when stuff you weren't smart enough to think up, begins to sprout and you know the Holy Spirit is leading them.

the "only has one year left at home" child

the "still so very cute when he wakes up sleepy" and "I won't pose for a picture" child

Party Time (baby-palooza-central)

It is an avalanche of Pampers, pacifiiers, adorable onsie's and baby shower bliss up in here! I have had so much fun reliving the baby days with lots of sweet mama's over the past few months. Recently I had the priviledge to host two fun showers- one for my dear friend's adopting three children from Colombia (yes, three!) and one for Emma's darling teacher who is expecting her first baby. Just for fun I thought I'd share some highlights from the events.

As the children are coming from Colombia, we used a global theme

Loved how the maps looked in our decor!

Cannot WAIT to welcome these three into our church family!

The beautiful mama-to-be! Doesn't she look so happy?

My dear friend, who is a real gourmet cook, researched authentic Colombian desserts and made these Alfajores cookies! Delish!

It was truly a wonderful celebration of a 2 1/2 year journey toward bringing home their children and I felt so blessed to get to host the joyous occasion! And there were lots of delightfully helpful friends who contributed food, creativity and love to make it a special afternoon.

My other baby shower fun was for Emma's teacher, who is expecting her first baby boy, Avery James, next month. (We may or may not go into mourning when she goes on maternity leave) It's a little more challenging, decorating and celebrating in a school classroom, but I think it turned out great and the kids had a blast celebrating their beloved Mrs. Wilson.

Because we combined our class Valentine's party with the baby shower we went with the theme "Showers of Love"

We played "Guess the Baby Food" and don't be fooled by that smile- Emma skipped the taste testing and opted to sniff the little blobs to make her guess!

All the 4th grade parents contributed food and we had quite a spread!

What a blessing for Emma to have had Mrs. Wilson this year! (side note- Emma picked out her Valentine's Day outfit and was decidedly the most colorful child in class! Love my little fashionista!)