Well there's been a lot of hard playing around here lately. Digging in rocks. Swimming in the baby pool. Playing in the sprinkler. Eating snow cones. We've summerfied our house. We even made a trip to Target to get new sidewalk chalk, bubbles, and large paper for finger painting. I guess it's my summer survival kit.
There's been lots of baseball playing. Graham loves him some sports. He wants to spend the afternoon either playing football or baseball. Thakfully, there's also been a lot of helmet wearing too. Lucy loves walking around the house and yard with Graham's Batman bicycle helmet. She just so happened to be wearing it as he wacked her head (by accident) when he was playing baseball. Disaster adverted all because of her obsession with that helmet.
There's also been a lot of fighting around here. One kid takes something away. The other kid yanks it back. Lots of screaming. Even some hitting. There's been lots of frustrations. Lucy has been dragging Graham's Humpty Dumpty around the house and saying, "My baby. My baby." To which Graham replies "Lucy, NO! That is not a baby! It's Humpty Dumpty!" Who would have thought that calling Humpty Dumpty a baby was a crime? Apparently it is. It's one of those absurd laws that our state has had for years.
And because of all the fighting, there's been lots of I'm sorrys around here and lots and lots of hugs. Now that Lucy is talking a lot more, she goes up to Graham and says, "sorry," while giving him a huge hug. And then inevitably this bear hug results in a wrestling move (because that's only natural, right?), and one of the kids gets hurt during the process of apologizing. So we go through the day stacking I'm sorrys on top of I'm sorrys because we hurt each other in the midst of our apologies. And to be completely honest, G and LP aren't the only ones having to say "I'm sorry." I get my fair share of I'm sorrys in too because of course I'm not always calm, cool, and collective during chaos or even during moments of peace.
There's been lots of sweet moments. Reading books together. Graham and Lucy playing peacefully in the backyard and laughing so hard at one another even though neither knows what is so funny. There's been some sharing. There's been some helping one another. There's been Graham trying to teach the Westminster Catechism to LP and also instructing her on how to mow the lawn. And there's been some gospel sharing. There is nothing much sweeter than hearing my husband whisper the gospel to Graham every Sunday as communion is being served. These moments put a smile on my face. These moments give me delight...delight that is deep.
So that's what's been going on around here. Nothing perfect. Nothing extraordinary. Just two kiddos trying to figure out who they are and Jeff and I trying to figure out the best way to love them, nurture them, discipline them, and teach them about Jesus. It's just real, ordinary life. But, I hope one day those gospel whispers stir up something extraordinary in the hearts of my kids.
