A rough 24 hours for Jon...

As Jon slept by the computer last night, he rolled over on his gum that he took out of his mouth and it got in his hair. I had to cut it out with the plans for a nice close haircut today. Here's hoping someplace is open!

The solution turned out to be Uncle Josh & his clippers.

Stylin' with his new ultra short mohawk! 

And here's a better picture just 'cause I love it so much. That's his cousin Mary with the bunny ears.

OOPS! Really, I didn't mean to!

I finally did it! After 4 years of having 4 kids going in 4 different directions, I did it. I left a child somewhere. Tonight was actually pretty calm, I've always pictured this happening when I'm going crazy with a 100 things but nope, no excuse!
The 3 little ones went to a VBS this week and tonight was their final night complete with slip-n-slide & dinner. Leah had a party at a friend's house so I actually ended up with 2 full hours to myself after making the drop-off rounds. I treated myself to a Jimmy John's Italian Nightclub sandwich and headed over to HealthSouth to visit with my mom. Dad filled me in today-they are releasing her to Villa Springs Nursing Home next Tuesday. Villa Spring is supposed to have an excellent physical therapy program so I'm happy this is working out for her. After an hour with my mom and getting her settled in bed for the evening I left and with time on my hands stopped at Micheal's for some crafting items. I'm craving crafts worse than chocolate these days. There will be a new post tomorrow! Well, Micheal's has a time warp machine instead of automatic doors so I lost track of time and showed up to pick the little ones up from VBS at 9:02 after every other parent had left. We stopped on the way home for gas & to drop library books off, then I had them change into their pajamas and we took off to see fireworks across from the Florence Freedom stadium. They were spectacular! As soon as the fireworks ended we headed to pick up Leah at her friend's house. No sooner than she gets in the car than Jon declares, "I need to go to the bathroom". So we pull into UDF in Hebron where Leah & Jon both go in. I, of course, end up lost in the world of my phone, checking in on FourSquare & Facebook. So Leah comes out and I put my phone down, back up, then hear, "MOOOOOooooommm!!!!" And Jon is hopping off the sidewalk after bursting through the doors of UDF. At his yell the 3 other people in the parking lot look up, realize what is going on and are laughing so hard we can hear them in the van with the windows up. I think I broke his heart. After many apologies, we made it home for the night where he promptly crashed by the computer where he wouldn't be out of my sight- he knows me so well.

After going to bed last night myself, I remembered going to a seminar by Jen Hatmaker last MOPS Convention titled, "Even Mary lost Jesus" and fully expected it to be a mom moment kinda class. Needless to say (especially remembering it through the blur that Convention often produces) it wan't that at all. It was about losing Jesus as the focus of our lives and even our ministries. I've certainly felt that way lately. I KNOW Jesus hasn't left me, but I haven't felt like talking to him, just kinda nodding my head at him when I catch a glimpse of him now & then. Last night, seeing Jon running out to me brought that whole seminar back to me in a flash. Jesus has been running at me too and I think now I'm finally ready to let him get back in the van too- the driver's seat- not the 3rd row where he's been patiently waiting and watching over us from. I think leaving Jon (for the 3.5 seconds I was backing up) may have been the best thing for all of us.

Boys Stand Up to Pee

    When I found out I was pregnant with Leah, I prayed and prayed that I would have a girl. I just didn't feel capable to raise a boy on my own. One of the happiest days  in my life was seeing that ultrasound and knowing I was having a little girl and that she didn't have a cleft palate. Fast forward almost 16 years and here I am a single mom, not only to my precious Leah, but also to Trinity & of course the two boys- Jon & Jonah.
    The other day I was sitting at the computer desk in our front room and hear what was obviously more than one child in the bathroom around the corner. I was about to yell my usual, "One in the bathroom at a time!", when Jon's voice says, "You know you can stand up to pee, right, Jojo?" Knowing this was going to be good, I just listened. Jon continued to tell Jonah how to pull his pants down, where to stand, where to aim (which scares me a little), how to shake & flush. I was impressed, especially since Jon typically isn't the most helpful child in the universe. Jonah has now mastered the peeing standing up process, within 2 months of potty training. I've had to clean the bathroom much more frequently these past few days, but as a mom knowing how the mess came to be, I don't mind. I'm proud of my boys this week and thank God that He gave Jonah a "man" to teach him this ultimate passage into boyhood, even if it was his 7 year old brother.