Knox Talks: To A Bully

In the car on the way home from school today...

K: Mommy, this boy was really mean to me today at school.  He kept pushing me.

Me: Did you ask him to stop?

K: No because I'm kind of scared.  He's a third grader.

Me: Well, tomorrow if he does it again, ask him once nicely to stop.  If he keeps doing it after that, tell the teacher that he's bothering you.

K: How 'bout I say this to him.  Then changes to his sweetest voice - his "kind" voice if you will.  Colton, please stop pushing me you lazy fool.

So, he might be coming home with a black eye tomorrow.  Keep you posted.

Knox: Five

His big day started off like most birthdays do around here... a new mega book to study throughout the year.  Courtesy of the sibs.

Next, the birthday boy's choice of breakfast.  With Knox, it's always donuts.  On Lakey's birthday, the donut lady overheard us talking about it and brought Lakey a donut with a candle.  Knox was all over that like a rash, so on this day he burst through the door of the donut shop and announced that it was his birthday.  Luckily, the donut lady did not disappoint.  

Nino came up for the day and took Knox to Legoland.  At home, a bigger bike and some new walkie talkies finished out the day.  We let him go around the block and radio us on his journey.  Big kid stuff! 



And to end the day - ice cream cake!

And now for some things I want to remember about a newly turned 5 year old Knox:

1.  He's a natural leader and it's crazy to me that you can detect it at such a young age.  He doesn't worry much about what others think, or if he has the right answer, or if he does anything perfectly.  Being basically the exact the opposite of this myself - it thrills me that Knox is who he is!

2.  He's the teacher's pet.  Ms. McKinney actually writes that on her weekly notes she sends home!  He loves to be a helper, he thinks on his own, and he gets things easily.  When he draws a picture of our family he sometimes includes Ms. McKinney in the rendering.

3.  His favorite color is green, like his momma, and he says he wants to be a Baylor Bear, like his momma.

4.  He is full of ideas, animated in his stories, and he reads!  One of the coolest, most unexpected joys has been to watch the boys learn to read this year.  They have unlocked everything now.

5.  Knox's favorite person is Miles.  His second favorite is his daddy.

6.  Sometimes he shortens words.  I don't know if it's laziness, but I tend to think it's awesome when he says things like, "Mom, can I have some more ketch?"  Such a cool cat.

7.  He's tech savvy and smart.  He works until he figures things out.  He has memorized all the different passcodes to mine and Jeremy's phones, iPads, our garage door, and even the code to my parents' alarm system.  Mental note to lock away my debit card PIN and throw away the key.

8.  He says the darnedest things.  I'm thinking of the time when Miles was lamenting the fact that Santa brought him a bouncy ball on top of his popcorn tin instead of a sticky hand thing like he brought to Knox.  To which Knox replied, "Well you should have asked God to make you Knox and then Santa would have brought you one."

So thankful for this kid.  Happy birthday my darling Knox!

Miles: Six

This birthday feels like the official release of any grip I may have thought I still had on my first baby boy. 

He lost two teeth this week.  He cleaned out his sock and underwear drawers and reorganized his closet this week without me asking.  He starts real school in less than a month.  He asked to go to IHOP for his birthday breakfast instead of donuts.  See?  He's practically an old man.

Some things I want to remember about Miles:

1.  He loves for me to read to him. 

2.  Baseball and swimming are his favorites.

3.  He wakes up early, and he wakes up happy. 

4.  He cannot stand for Knox to get ready before him.  This may be why he gets himself up and dressed so quickly each morning without any coaxing from me.  You know, because he might die if he misses out on something.  Knox is so the opposite of this.  In his mind, the party doesn't start til he shows up, so he is never in a hurry to get anywhere.

5.  He is not very affectionate until he has been away from us for a few days, and then he goes around the house telling everyone (and everything) how much he loves and missed them. 

6.  He's pretty shy.  If he doesn't know you or isn't comfortable with you, he pretends to be deaf.

7.  However, if you are lucky enough to be one of the few that he feels safe with, he will machine-gun you down with conversation and questions.  All the live long day.

8.  He is adventurous, but not fearless.  He wants to try things, but he wants Knox to try them first. 

9.  His favorite color is still red, yet he wants to be a "Hook 'em Horn." Guess he'll have to make a choice someday.

10. His favorite person is his daddy.  His second favorite is Knox.

My heart overflows with thanksgiving for this one.

Happy birthday Miles boy!

Three: Lakey Ming Jia

Our sweet girl turned three today.

Now she has lived almost half of her life with us.

She has surprised me.  I expected a meek and mild little girl for some reason.

But as she grows more and more comfortable, she has proven to be outspoken, good humored,  happy, loud and moody.

Oh, and hungry.  All the time.

 

At the age of three, her favorite things are...
Hello Kitty
Minnie Mouse
Gummy vitamins
Her "pack-pack" (backpack)
Her Hello Kitty "swim soup" (swimsuit)
Gymnastics
Her Hello Kitty "foam" (a musical toy iPod thing she thinks is a phone)
Her black/hot pink Nike shoes that her friend Ashlyn handed down after she outgrew them

Her favorite songs to sing are...
It's A Small World, Edelweiss, Hey Jude, Twinkle Twinkle and Thank You Lord. 

Her favorite color is hot pink. 

She wants to wear her hair in "Anna baids" (braids like Anna, from the movie Frozen) every day.

I can't think of a cooler three year old. 

Happy birthday Jodgy!  We love you!

Walt Disney World 2014

We did it! 

Jeremy and I took the kiddies to Walt Disney World back in May, and this is me rested, recovered, and living to tell about it.  Let's face it - I had my doubts. 

 

unknown source 

 

Brace yourselves for an onslaught of photos.

 

This trip was akin to having a baby.  You want to do it so badly, but thinking about what you're really in for brings about pangs of dread.  Once it's booked, there is no turning back.  While you are there, there are real painful moments (i.e. line management with a 2, 4 and 5 year old) that are quickly eclipsed by the overwhelming thrill of it all.  You come home exhausted, but after enough time passes, you forget and find yourself wanting to do it all over again. 

 

I might have predicted that Miles' favorite park would be Animal Kingdom.  I've heard some people ho-hum this park as being just another zoo.  But a zoo is never. EVER. just a zoo to Miles.  And AK has roller coasters too.  So this was pretty much heaven on earth for Miles.

 

 

Lakey's first encounter with a Disney character.  She was unimpressed and absolutely NOT taking her eye off Minnie for one second.

 

Animal Kingdom has a super awesome roller coaster called Expedition Everest that the boys talked about for days.

 

 

We spent two days at the Magic Kingdom, and this is by far the most remarkable, magical place on the planet.  In an engineered sort of way.  I'm sorry to be so dramatic about it, but there is no other way.  MK is so amazing, and every memory I have as a kid going to WDW comes from this park.  I beefed up our Disney DVD collection a couple of months before the trip and then forced the kids to watch a different one every weekend so that they could appreciate all the goodness they would behold at the Magic Kingdom.  I think it was a good move on my part.  Fist bump to myself.  Blow it up.

 

Side note: I wonder why The Sword in the Stone doesn't get any street cred at WDW?  It's one of my very faves.  Anyone with me?

 

 

We started everyone off slow with rides like Dumbo, Little Mermaid, and Peter Pan. 

 

 

 Then we high tailed it over to Tomorrowland and put the boys on Space Mountain.  Suckas! 

 

 

Who doesn't love Space Mountain?  Well apparently Knox, as evident from the tear stained cheeks and eyes as he exited the ride.  He was not happy.  And with that, I vowed to nominate myself for Mother of the Year another day.  Luckily, Miles loved it and was up for an encore round which meant I was able to ride it too.

 

 

The kids got their faces painted. 

 

I love how Miles carefully selected a superhero design that left plenty of room for his glasses. 

 

 

True to form, Knox went with something a little more dramatic.  Galactic Tiger I think this was called.

 

 

Of all the glittery fairy and princess options, Lakey was dead set on getting fixed up like her worst enemy - a dog.  A superhero dog.  Just whatever.  I had them sprinkle on some glitter anyway for good measure.

 

Character dining is probably the best way to experience and interact with all the different characters without forging the long lines elsewhere in the parks.  Here were some of our favorite friends.

Please note the absence of Miles with Sophia the 1st.  He was not into the princesses AT ALL.  Here is additional evidence.

See?  Wouldn't touch them with a ten foot pole.

Knox was more than happy to represent with the ladies, however.

What can I say?  I drink the Mouse punch too.

Belle is my favorite because she reminds me of me.  Just kidding about that last part.  We actually had to coerce Miles into this photo, but I think his face reveals the truth.

Next up was Epcot.  Jeremy and I really liked this park but there weren't as many rides for younger kiddos.  We managed to make a full day of it though.

We saw some great flowers and sculptures.

 

And guess who we found?  That would be the Figment of your Imagination.  I have no idea why, but I had a stuffed Figment as a kid and I think he's still loveable.  Knox did too and tried to snatch up all these wares from the gift shop after the ride.

 

The last park we went to was Hollywood Studios.  I would definitely say that this park is geared for adults and kids older than ours.  But it does boast one ride that was the entire reason we were there - Toy Story Mania.  Jeremy said this was his favorite ride of all the parks, and if we go back he just wants to ride it over and over and over again.

This is also the place to be if you're a Star Wars fan, which I am thanks to growing up with a sci-fi loving older brother and two equally enthusiastic parents.  Sadly enough, the rest of my crew doesn't have the same respect for the glory of the Jedi, but there was this glimmer of hope.

Lakey was totally digging all things galactic.  Such a good young Padawan.

Nonetheless, we only spent a half day at Hollywood and then hopped back over to the Magic Kingdom to finish up our Disney experience. 



See ya real soon Disney!

something sweet.

Last night after Lakey and I read a book together, I asked her if she wanted to talk to God before she got in bed.  She said yes, and this is what she said,

"God thank you, making me happy."

 

 

Then we sang, Thank You Lord, together at her request and I almost died of joy.

One Year with Lakey

One entire year.

Sometimes I go back and read my posts from China.  Every time I see the pictures from the first day we laid eyes on Shang Guan Ming Jia my heart jumps into my throat.  For the rest of my life she will, in my eyes, be the bravest girl I've ever known.  To remember her standing there in front of me that day, dressed in all her best layers, refusing even a sideways glance in my direction still makes me weep because I know that little 19 month old soul could sense change was coming.  And though it took her several minutes to mull it over, she finally mustered up the fortitude to turn and look me in the eye.  And literally, Lakey never looked back to the ones that brought her to us.

I can barely process it even still.  We are so thankful to God every day for creating this sweet girl and bringing us together.  This has surely been a year we won't forget, and the best is yet to be!

Christ The Savior Is Born







 

Merry Christmas with peace and love,
Jeremy, Lindsay, Miles, Knox, and Lakey Ming Jia

Crossing It Off The List

There is no easy way to say this, so I'll just say it.

There will be no Elf on a Shelf at our house this year.  Or any year after. 

Judge me if you must.  This is a decision I made about 5 minutes ago, and I haven't even discussed it with Jeremy yet.  But considering that he heaves a big sigh every time I send him to the attic to bring down yet another Christmas tree (We have five.  Keep on judging, Grinch), I can't imagine this news will disappoint him.

It's just too much for us (me).  The thought of one more task to complete every night makes me want to induce myself into a coma.  And frankly, isn't the idea of a miniature person flying in and out of your house every night, watching your every move, reporting to the Man in Red, and rooting around in your knives and marshmallows a little Creepy Creeperson?  I say yes. 

And, while I guess the main point is to add another layer of magical goodness to Christmas for children, it's undisputed that parents hope the elf will curb some bad behavior for a month.  Right?  Let's discuss this please.  Does this really work for any of you?  We had an elf last Christmas, and I am a mother of mischievous boys.  So at our house, Elf-Elf (as the boys so creatively named him) served as one more figure for Miles and Knox to defy.  Literally moments after I read them the passage from the book that says you're not allowed to touch the elf or he loses his magic, Knox went nose to nose with the little guy and put his grubby little finger about an eighth of an inch away from Elf-Elf's cheek, while Miles looked on screaming, "NOOOOOOOOO!"

This is drama we don't need, folks.  So I'm saying no.  I hope the kids won't be upset.  Is it too much to hope they will have so much fun with other things that they won't notice?  We'll see.

*I cast no judgment against those of you that enjoy this tradition.  I'll have fun seeing pictures of your elves on Facebook tonight while I watch The Voice free of all thoughts elfin.

Knox: Four

It's gut wrenching.

Last night I asked him to please stay three years old and he said to me,

"I can't.  This is the way God made me."

Indeed.  

Knox is one of a kind.  My kind, according to my mother.  Which might explain why he sometimes makes me the most pull-my-hair-out crazy.  But then sometimes, dare I say it, he makes me the most happy?  

He is as ornery as the day is long.  He charms, he jokes, he sticks out his lip and fills his big eyes with tears just before telling me that his heart is really sad that I've lost my patience after telling him six bazillion times to brush his teeth.  His stall tactic at bedtime is to fake cry (but somehow summon real tears) and tell me that he just needs one more hug, sugar, and a high five so that he can sleep better - only to admit the next morning that he was just kidding with the big dramatic production of being scared of the dark.

Oh this boy. A few weeks ago I caught him giving Miles a quarter from his piggy bank. When I asked what he was doing, he said,

"I'm giving Miles a quarter to clean up the toy room by himself."

That was shortly after he had brought me a sack of toys he wanted to sell to earn money for his piggy bank because he "didn't want them anymore."  Upon inspection, I noticed that the sack contained toys  that specifically belonged to Miles. 

Sneaky Pete. 

But then, what do you expect from a boy who saves a cereal bar for The Joker in the mornings?

     

Oh, but then he can be as sweet as sugar. Like when he saved some candy for Miles and Lakey from a treat bag he got at a birthday party only he was invited to. All on his own. He can be really thoughtful and generous.

Sweet Petey.

Either way, I love my darling boy. Happy birthday, Knox. You are a rich blessing from our glorious God!

Miles Files: Tell the Truth

Last week Miles' teacher for the summer was explaining to the class that it is not always best to put a Band-Aid on our wounds because some need air to heal. A scrape, for example.

"Just like you would never put tape over your mouth because you need air to breathe, the same goes for certain boo-boos. They need to breathe in order to heal," she said.

I can just picture Miles sitting in the semi-circle with his peers - elbows on his crisscross applesauced knees and his eyes giving a sideways stare to the ceiling, as if he's already heard this a million times before and her words deserve no attention from him. But kids at this age are taking everything in, of course. As the teacher rested her case on wound care, Miles chimed in.

"Well I don't know what the big deal is. We are all gonna die someday anyway."

Alrighty then.

lakey: six months later.

Today marks six months since Lakey became our forever daughter.  And in six months, I have learned some things about her.

She is delicious.  I could eat her up with a spoon.

Give her a snack and you've got a friend for life.

She takes a particular liking to corn on the cob.  It was love at first bite.

She is sometimes bossy and is slightly dramatic.  Her favorite phrase is, "Sit. Right. Here."

PoPo was spot on when she said that Lakey lets you know if something doesn't meet her mind.  I froze solid from this icy glare after I helped myself to a bite of her eggs one morning.  Yikes.

She has an adventurous spirit.

She is a beauty.

She mixes perfectly with her rowdy brothers.

She is loving, and she is loved.

I think she is happy with us so far.

And I am so glad about that, because we are 100% in love with her.