Date Night–a Funny Exchange of Texts

The fact that I don’t have a picture to go along with this is unacceptable in my opinion.  I wish I could have been a fly (with a camera) on the wall when Mark and Nina walked into the school gymnasium. 

Here are the background facts: 

• Last night was the school’s Pajama Bingo Night.  We’ve never been, didn’t plan on going, kind of glanced at the flyer and tossed it, just knew it was on Friday night. 
• Mark owed Nina a date night.
• After school we’re out playing and the kids on the street are talking about going and that it’s fun
• I text Mark to put the idea in his head of maybe taking Nina to Pajama Bingo for date night
• Mark texts me for details and I reply that parents and kids wear pajamas, everyone plays bingo, kids say it’s fun, they should go, blah blah
• Mark texts back – am I sure parents wear pajamas?
• I text back – yes, yes, I’m sure.  There is even a prize for best family pajamas.
• Mark says he’s going to take Nina – everyone is excited

So, fast forward to the evening when Mark gets home from work. They’re quickly out the door to dinner in the neighborhood town center but plan on stopping back home to change into pajamas.  After dinner they stop back by the house for a quick change.  They look so cute – Nina in her froggy jammies, her frog robe, her frog ear muffs, and her slippers, and Mark is in his striped pajama pants, his slippers, and a long sleeve pajama shirt.  They look adorable.  Mark checks again – am I sure parents are going to be wearing pajamas.  I reply – yes, yes, yes! 

You can see where this is going.  They arrive at the school, and the exchange of texts starts up again.

• Mark –” I don’t see any other parents wearing pajamas”
• Me – “Yes, go on in.  They’ll be wearing pajamas!”
• Me (again curious) – “Are you the only adult in pajamas?”
• Mark – “Pretty much!!!!  Thanks!!!!”
• Me – “Laughing so hard right now”
• Mark – “You are going to have to make this one up to me”
• Me – “Trust me.  I know.”
• Me – “Don’t worry.  You look cute.  Probably even more so because you’re in jammies with your daughter.”
• Mark – “Yeah that flattery is not working.”
• Me – “I’m still laughing.  Sorry.  I can’t help it.”
• Mark – “Yeah, yeah.  Not to mention it is so stinking hot in here and I’m refusing to take off my jacket cause I’m seriously the only adult in pjs”

Anyway, too funny!  How I wish I had my camera for that one! 

Lyla Rose

 

Bird Watching

This morning when we woke up there was a little dusting of snow on the ground.  This past week we had also just filled our birdhouse for the first time this winter, so the girls are often watching at the window to see the birds that come to feed at the house.  However, this morning we got a show from a squirrel in the yard of a house behind us.

 

At first, we were just impressed that he was able to sit on the ends of the very small tree branches without falling.

Then we were all laughing when he lunged for the bird feeder and held on.  He munched on some seed for a little bit from this position.

        Then he hung on the bird feeder upside down and ate most of his meal.  The birds around the feeder didn’t seem too happy with him, and after a few mouthfuls of food, he’d stare the birds down, move his mouth as if he were chattering something to them, then he’d keep on eating.  I think I know how that conversation went!

             

I remember my grandfather, PB, telling us stories about the squirrels and raccoons that would scheme ways of getting the food out of his elaborately hung bird feeders.  His feeders would seem like they were almost hovering in the air, yet somehow the squirrels would find a way to get to them.  I remember one story in particular where PB was was trying to outsmart a raccoon I believe.  Engineer vs. Rodent – your bets would be on the engineer to win.  He had created these birdfeeders that hung out far away from trees and the deck and the only way to access the feeders (so he could put food in them) was through a pulley system he rigged.  He tells the story that one morning he came in to the glass door at the deck only to see a raccoon sitting on the deck using hand over hand to pull the feeder on the pulley system toward him so he could get the bird feed.  Smart little rascals!

10 Years

Today is our ten year anniversary.  A decade of marriage.  That seems like a lot.  When put into the perspective that marriages can last a lifetime, ten years really isn’t that long, but when it’s the first decade, it seems big.  In our marriage decade, the first half of the decade was much different than the second half.  In the first half, we travelled more, we moved more, we had date nights much more, we shared hobbies more, but I don’t think we learned more. Kind of like the traditional gifts of paper, cotton, fruit, and flowers for early anniversaries, we were less solid, more temporal, and more subject to the whims of our circumstances.  We had much to learn.

In the second half of our marriage, we travelled less, moved less, had date nights much less, had personal time less, but I think we learned more.  At just about the halfway point in our decade of marriage, Nina arrived.  Those of you who knew us well when Nina was born know that it was a very challenging time for us.  Mark’s job had some real challenges, I had just stopped teaching, and we were given a very challenging baby.  Things evened out after awhile, but the difficulty of that time and our utter dependence on each other brought us even closer together.  We became a little stronger – kind of like the traditional gift of wood at a five year anniversary.  We were stronger than the earlier years of marriage, some difficulty had made us that way, but when really put to the fire, we could still be burned up.  We still had much to learn.

The years blend together when kids join the marriage.  Nina arrived a bit before the five years of marriage mark, Lyla arrived 21 months after Nina, and life was busy.  Mark was travelling a lot, and we had a baby and a toddler – the days of the paper year of marriage were long gone.  We became kind of like the traditional gift of wool at around the seven year mark of marriage.  We were more sturdy, more dependable, more functional – however not everyone’s favorite thread.  Despite its warmth, wool can be scratchy.  That’s kind of like life in a season of diapers, spit ups, toddler tantrums, and sleep deprivation.  It can be warm and comforting at times – scratchy at others.  We still had much to learn.

Life continues to develop and challenges pop up for different reasons than adding kids to the relationship or learning how to initially accommodate each other.  After riding the wave of one season of life, we’re not sitting on the beach enjoying the view.  We’re in the tide.  Sometimes the swells are big and we have to ride them out despite our fear.  Other times the water is calm and easy flowing. So now that we’re at the ten year mark, the traditional gift associated with our marriage is aluminum or tin.   How fitting when you really think about it.  Aluminum/tin is lightweight yet strong.  It’s a good reflector.  When tempered, or held to the fire, its properties improve.  It becomes more useful.  The heat treatment of tempering actually makes the material tougher, stronger, and ductile – actually meaning that it’s able to undergo changes without breaking. 

By our tenth year of marriage, we’ve had some tempering.  We’re still lightweights in the ranks of marriage longevity, but we’ve got some evidences of strength in us.  Maybe we’re even better reflectors of love and Jesus to each other than we were in the early days of our marriage.  Maybe the fires and the heat of life have actually improved the quality of our marriage, made it better, tougher, stronger, and able to undergo changes in life and each other without breaking.  We’re aluminum people.  We value the fact that we can be flexible and pliable – lightweights yet strong. We’re useful and functional.  We still have much to learn.

We’re a long way from the flashy, truly honorable, and time tested years of diamond, silver, and gold, but I’d like to think that we’re making strides.  One decade at a time…

However, should Mark want to give me a diamond today instead of a roll of aluminum foil, I don’t think I would object. 

From Short Sleeves to Snow…

…in 48 hours!  Crazy!  Nina had just left for school when Lyla and I headed out to the grocery store.  When we came out, the big flakes had started falling.  She was having so much fun with it.  Here are some pictures of her with the first flakes that fell.  You should see it now…the ground is covered.

              

Kid-Fun Saturday

These kids have a rough life.  With days like today, I don’t even know how they manage a smile for their mom (or kind-of smile if you’re Lyla).  After a leisurely breakfast and play time, the girls got all dressed up to go to a princess party for a little girl on our street.  Nina, who has been out of the princess thing for awhile, even admitted that she was excited to get dressed up and that she wasn’t “completely out of the princess thing yet.”  We got to walk down the street on a beautifully warm day for a party, then it was back home for a quick change into play clothes and then right outside to play with friends.

             

For the rest of the daylight hours, they played outside in weather that felt like it was spring.  Nina played with the big girls while Lyla played with her little buddy.  Only when it was dark and everyone was hungry did we have to come back in the house.  Then it was dinner, a bath, some play time, and off to bed.  I think I’d like to be a kid on days like today!

 

Ringing in the New Year

What’s the best way to close out a year and start a new one?  In our opinion, it’s spending the time with good friends.  So, yesterday evening we packed up and headed over to the Rumple’s house for a New Year’s Eve family sleepover.  We ate good food, played ping pong, sat outside at a fire pit while the kids roasted marshmallows, and rounded out the night with a rousing game of Headbands.  We had stayed up past midnight (whoo hoo) and were a bit delirious, so after several rounds of Headbands, we called it a night.  All four kids slept together in the same room and, despite the fact that they went to bed around 11:30, were still up by 7:30 this morning.  We enjoyed a fabulous breakfast made by Jill and Mark and eventually made our way back home.  It was a great way to start the new year!