special friend day

A week ago we had friends over and their first grade son, Andrew, asked me if I would be his Special Friend on Special Friend Day at his school.

Oh brother. Would I? My heart swelled and I was so honored.

Before I had kids I used to be a favorite with most children but since having my own, I'm not able to pour into other kids as much...so when Andrew asked if I'd come, it meant so much to me! He saw me as a worthy special friend!

I brought Ivar because I knew he'd love it. And he did. He wore his new outfit from Mimi and looked very big to me. He ate his whole lunch, sat through an entire Mass, and now believes that when kids go to school they sit on a carpet and play with cars and legos with other kids.

When we left he said to me, "I would like to go back to Andrew's school sometime. Maybe tomorrow!"

the first snow

When I went to bed last night I was thinking about the forecast for snow, noting that it is November 6. The last time it snowed was May 2nd, when we got over a foot. If we have another winter like last year, we are looking at a full six months of snow season ahead of us. Six months.

It also means that we only had six months of spring/summer/fall before heading into another winter. It made my heart sink a bit. That wasn't long enough.

But this afternoon I took both kids out in the black sled and we walked around our property for a half an hour. The kids were delighted, my heart was pumping and the whole world was sparkling around me as the sun began to set.

And that's when I thought it: Winter, I am going to kick your butt so hard this year you will not know what has hit you. I have joined the Y. I have a daughter who begs to go outside and a son who loves the sled. I have a big window that fills my living room with light. And I am taking a multivitamin. 

So bring it.

george and katherine

Our former neighbors and dear friends, George and Katherine, came to visit a few days before Ivar's birthday. It made me miss them dearly. They love our kids so well and Ivar and Elsie adore them. They brought Ivar a basket ball and Elsie her very first red-headed baby doll. We named her Georgina Katherine.

growing up

We tucked Ivar into bed after a fun third birthday, telling him about the day he was born, telling him how much we like to be with him and how proud we are to be his parents. We went down to watch a movie, but paused it when we could hear him crying up in his bed. I went into his room and he sadly lamented, "I don't want to be three. I want to be two. Not three."

The only way I could get him to calm down was to tell him he could be two again.

I had my own coming of age this month when, for the first time in my life, I liked refried beans. What on earth? All my life I have been grossed out by this poo-mush and now I really like it. I had a similar reaction when I first started liking blue cheese...sort of a disbelief that I could be getting that old.

Listening to Ivar cry made me wonder why the passing of time seems to come with such dread. Time goes so fast...we can't believe it's already bla-ti-bla month, we can't believe bla-ti-bla season is already over. We can't believe our kid is already three. And he can't believe it, either.



Andrew Peterson has an awesome song about the passing of time called Day by Day. The link will let you listen to the song...but I've copied most of the words here:

And everybody's so surprised
When right before your very eyes
Your baby's in the second grade
You blink and it's her wedding day

And we just can't get used to being here
Where the ticking clock is loud and clear
Children of eternity
On the run from entropy

Well, you have never met a single soul
Who didn't feel the curse's toll
Who didn't wish that death would die
Maybe that's the reason why

And it hurts so bad
But it's so good to be young
And I don't want to go back
I just want to go on and on and on

So don't lose heart
Though your body's wasting away
Your soul is not
It's being remade
So don't lose heart
Don't lose heart
Your body will rise and never decay
Day by day by day

I have been remembering a great truth at random times lately: I am a child of eternity. My body will rise and I will live forever. Usually I only think about my eternal life when attending a funeral. Or on Easter. It's easy to get caught up in our day to day so that the very point of why we are walking through each day can be completely missed. And forgotten.

When I forget that I am a child of eternity then I feel sad about time passing me by. And anxious about loved ones aging. Even watching my one-year-old take her first steps leaves a little lump in my throat because now she's a toddler. Not a baby. And you can never go back.

But I'm looking the wrong direction when I'm thinking these thoughts. Because when I remember that I am made to live forever...that my body will rise one day and that my work on earth is a sweet moment on my way to my eternal home, then I have fire in my bones. Then I want to run this race marked out for me. Then I want to take every moment I have with that little baby-now-toddler and train her up in the ways she should go. Suddenly I have an eternal ending that makes obvious the work to be done during the fleeting days ahead.

So don't lose heart
Though your body's wasting away
Your soul is not
It's being remade
Don't lose heart
Your body will rise and never decay
Day by day by day

Ivar is three today!

A few favorite quotes from the past few weeks:

Me: Ivar, do you understand why you got a time out?

Ivar: Because I was dumping rocks out!

Me: Yes. I told you three times to stop dumping rocks out of the rock box, but you kept doing it. You even looked at me while you were doing it. That is very naughty and that is called disobedience.

Ivar: (whispering like he's amazed) oh that is craaaaaazy.

***

Rory was gone picking up our babysitter and I was getting the kids fed before we left for the crisis pregnancy center banquet. I set before Ivar a cold hot dog, a string cheese and a cup of raspberry yogurt. He exclaimed with the hot dog in one fist and the cheese in the other, "Oh that is fun that I am having a meal!"

***

Ivar was rolling around on the floor and lifted up his shirt, "ow! I skinned my feelings right here!"

***

My sweet joy boy. You light up my life every single day. Today you are three years old. 

You are fun-loving, social, and silly. You love playing game boards taking out all the pieces and making up your own ways to play. You get frustrated easily and have a real knack for throwing yourself on the floor. You don't want Elsie to play with your toys, but you are never more than a foot away from her at any given moment because you adore her. The two of you laugh and giggle until someone starts crying. You love your family, love your blue and green blanket, and told me tonight, "Svea, Uncle Kyle and Natalee are the best of friends." The three of them don't know each other, so I think you were telling me that they are your best friends. 

You are a sweet boy. I am so glad you're my boy.