Luke has had a mop of curly hair for many months now. It just kept growing and growing, and staying curly and looking quite interesting on him. He wanted long hair, and he wore it well. But finally he was ready to have it cut off. So last night after we got home from choir, I asked him several times if he was sure, and then I started cutting hair. It took a while, since I did it all with scissors. (I didn’t want to risk losing the clippers in his mop of hair!) When it was done, the floor was covered with curls, and Luke looked like a different boy. I measured some of the cut hair, and some pieces were 4-5 inches long. That’s a lot of hair to cut off!
I keep seeing Luke and thinking I don’t recognize that boy. But I do like his short hair, and I think I’ll enjoy getting used to it. Still, it’s the end of an era. I wonder if he’ll ever grow his hair out that long again.

For years I’ve tried to interest Isaac in reading. Oh, he knows how to read, but he refuses to read a book unless he’s required to do so. I’ve made sure I have boy-friendly books, I’ve read him the first chapter of a book hoping it would catch his interest, and I’ve required reading for his school work. But nothing has succeeded in getting Isaac’s attention in books.
Yesterday he picked up a book that is a collection of classic horror. It contains “Dracula”, “Frankenstein” and “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” Isaac started reading in the morning, and he read all day. He was unstoppable. I’ve never seen him so interested in a book! The story he’s reading right now is “Dracula”. Not what I would have chosen, but I’m so pleased Isaac is reading, that I’m not complaining.

For many weeks I’ve given much thought to what I would like to choose for a birthday present. I pondered a magazine subscription, some videos on parrot behavior, a new hairstyle, a new watch, or some new clothes. All in all, I couldn’t decide. But yesterday when several of the items I tried to put on were ill-fitting or too small, I decided that new clothes needed to be my pick. I’m tired of waiting for my self-control to kick in so I’ll lose some weight. I need to have clothes that fit now. So today Michael took his four ladies out for a shopping adventure. I’ve never done anything like this before, but it was so much fun, I think I need to do it again! Laura and Amelia were a great help as I tried on some jeans and colorful tops. Michael, Laura and Amelia gave thumbs-up or thumbs-down signs as I would walk out of the dressing room with different selections. We were able to narrow down the choices, and I purchased two pairs of jeans and two casual tops. I would have had a much more difficult time by myself. I really valued the other options on the colors and styles I was trying on.
Still, with all the fun and encouragement, I only had the emotional stamina to survive one store. I simply didn’t have the energy to traipse all over the mall to different stores. I don’t know why shopping is so exhausting for me, but it is. I’m so thankful that we found some workable options at the first store.

Somehow it slipped my mind to tell you about the very first birthday present I received yesterday! My mother stopped by with a gift bag, and it was filled with goodies! The first thing I pulled out was a pair of dark red socks.  Cool! Then I saw a pair of socks with frogs on them. I like to wear fun socks, so these are perfect! Besides, my feet were cold, so I eagerly put on the first pair of socks.

Then I decided to eat the Hershey’s bar that had been hiding in the bottom of the bag. Each square had a peanut-butter filling. I shared a square with each of the children, and then kept the rest for myself.
I resisted the urge to dig into the bag again until afternoon snack time. Then I pulled out the container of fresh strawberries and shared two with each child, again hogging the remainder for myself. It was hard to be too piggish though, because Lilly was standing right in front of me eagerly holding up her little hand for every tiny slice of strawberry I would hand to her. It was so much fun to feed her, that I think she conned me out of a couple more of my strawberries.
After the strawberries were gone, I found the tiny loaf of banana bread and sliced it for the children and me to share. Yum, yum!
The last treasure from the bag is a box of “coffee nips”. They are little hard candies that I will enjoy having around for special times when I am ready for a slow sweet treat.
A big thank you to my mother for giving me such a wonderful gift package!

Yesterday was a very nice birthday.  The children seemed very interested in the fact that I could actually have a birthday.  For every other birthday, I’m helping focus on other people.  But yesterday I catered to myself just a bit.  I chose a birthday cake that was my absolute favorite, and I made a supper that I knew not everyone would like.  But all in all, it was a really nice day. 

Laura and Amelia worked on setting a nice table for our supper.  And then Amelia went and cut some of the tulips in the back yard for a centerpiece.  While she was walking across the back yard, she found some beautiful violets that were begging to come inside too.

My sister-in-law, Mary, stopped by to wish me a Happy Birthday, and she gave me some mums.  I can’t wait to find just the right spot to plant them.  Meanwhile, I’m enjoying them inside.

When I took the children to Junior Choir at church, I took along some birthday cupcakes to help celebrate my special day.  The children at the choir were delighted to sing an enthusiastic Happy Birthday to me, and we enjoyed our treat at the end of choir.

After we got home and put a bunch of kids in bed, Michael and I sat and watched some t.v. together.  It was a very pleasant end to a nice day.

Now today I start life as a 39-year-old.  I can see why some people just stay “39″ for many years.

Today is my birthday. Hard to believe it’s my last year to be thirty-something.
I decided that what I really wanted to do was to plan my own birthday dinner. So I am making a German-Chocolate Cake with homemade coconut-pecan frosting, and I’ll serve enchiladas made with venison for supper. I’ll also make some cheese tostadas for those picky children who turn their little noses up at enchiladas.
All in all, I think it will be a fun day, and a nice way to remember the start of my 39th year.

Toads are very good at hiding in their environment. They burrow under the dirt and look like a clump of dirt themselves. It often looks as if there is nothing more than dirt and rocks in a container holding a toad.
Unfortunately, Isaac’s toad managed to pull even a better disappearing act than usual. She disappeared sometime last night. We didn’t know for sure until just a little while ago, because it was possible she was just hiding. But Isaac has now dumped out the bin and hosed it out, and there is no toad. I’m afraid he’ll be very sad for a while as he mourns his escaped friend. My only consolation is that I got some nice photos of the toad before she gained her emancipation.

Kirby Two

On Wednesday evening, Isaac’s dream came true. Ever since he let his toad go back into the wild last Autumn, he has hoped that another toad would hop back into his life this Spring.

When Luke, Amelia and I went to choir practice on Wednesday night, some friends of ours showed us the large toad they had found in their backyard. To my surprise they said the toad was for Isaac to have.

When we handed Isaac the coffee can with his gift, he lifted the lid and jumped with surprise. He was imagining a toad the size of his friend last year, but this one is many times bigger than that little critter.

After some deliberation, Isaac decided that he still liked the name “Kirby”, so this toad would bear that name as well. We’ll just have The First Kirby and Kirby Two. It does make conversation a bit confusing, but we’re adjusting.

Today Lilly got her first pair of Crocs.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen such tiny Crocs.  She has taken to them quite willingly, and we all keep admiring her beautiful new shoes.

Up to this point, Lilly has only worn Robeez shoes.

They are soft shoes that allow her to walk as if barefoot.  These Crocs are different in that they are a shaped shoe, so it forces Lilly to learn how to adapt her walking to the shoes.  Crocs must be different from regular shoes, because this morning when I put tiny tennis shoes on Lilly (that had been given to us by my cousin), she walked like a drunk sailor, lifting her feet high, weaving sideways, and finally flopping onto her padded bottom.  But when we first put the Crocs on her, she seemed to be able to walk in them with only a tiny bit of adjustment.

While we were in the shop, deciding on which pair Lilly should have, and having her walk around in various styles, the other shoppers couldn’t help but notice and comment on their fellow shoe shopper.  They kept admiring her tiny shoes, and insisting that she was so cute as she headed toward every shiny item in the shop.

The best part about it all is that I was able to make this “impulse purchase” with the freedom of knowing that I had cash in the envelope marked “Clothing”, so I wasn’t endangering the bank account with my impulsivity.  I paid for the shoes, put the change into the envelope, and walked out of the mall without a single guilty feeling.  Instead, we can just enjoy the beautiful baby and her beautiful shoes.

Last night Michael and I went out to dinner.  For some reason it occurred to me to suggest going to The Thai House.  That sounded great to both of us, so that’s where we went.

Wow.  What’s better than Pad Thai?

I’m still basking in the joy of delicious Thai food.