Taking the Scenic Route

The Party on Saturday 

Robert’s middle child turned 8.  The gaggle of boys were really loud and rowdy, and Zane came to the backyard to be with the girls instead.  They shared wagon rides and then helped Dori plant tomatoes and cucumbers, then water the garden.  I think they enjoyed the garden more than the rest of the party.

Church today.

Finally, everybody was well enough to resume the Sunday School project for Zane.  I felt really good about it when we were done with the hour.  Every time I go to the Kid’s Ministry stuff I am left more and more impressed, and both kids seem to love it.  I couldn’t be more pleased with the whole program and the people I have met there.

However, the worship service was sooo bad.  The songs were annoying at best, weird melodies that I didn’t recognize and couldn’t figure out the alto/tenor parts to be able to sing (and the soprano lead was beyond squeaky for me) and just seemed uninspired.  The sermon taught me a lesson in patience and the ability to resist temptation.  (the temptation to chuck the hymnal at the preacher, a first for me).  I just spent most of the sermon wondering if the guy ever actually studied biblical history and understood what the original documents say instead of the outdate, narrow interpretations of them.  I am used to educated, intelligent ministers who, even if I don’t agree with them, at least are reasonably logical.  This guy was out to lunch.  I am not sure if I even want to go to another worship service there at this point. 

As much as I want to, I will probably keep going for a bit to see if this is a fluke, or if it is the norm.  I need to exercise patience and see if it improves.  We will be able to go to a different service or Sunday School after Zane is mainstreamed into the Sunday School program, so I need to just hold my horses right now.  I was hoping to be able to take Zane into the main service and get him accustomed to it, and this is the only reasonable option for that right now. (there is a service before his Sunday School, but I don’t want to wear him out in the big service before SS,  so I need to give him time to adjust to SS first, then we can go to the earlier service without it causing as much difficulty for him).

*sigh*  I wish I could combine the University or Chapel Hill service with the program at the MB church.  Right now, it is more important that the kid’s needs get met than ours though, so I will have to just suck it up and deal.  At least it does accomplish one thing very well…stimulates lots of discussion in the car afterwards.  lol

Little Zora is a dyanamo.  After 3 hours in the church nursery, she came home and didn’t want to take a nap.  We went to a birthday party at Pump-it-Up, one of those places that has huge blow up play equiptment.  (here are some pics from a b-day party there last Dec: 1, 2).  Both of the kids really had fun, but Zora’s energy was remarkable, epecially considering no nap after what usually wears her out.  Zach was going up with her each time for a while, and was tiring, and one time two little kids got in between him and Zora and she went down on her own, in perfect form, so from that point on we just let her go.  For two full hours, she climbed the stairs, on her own (nobody carrying her), and then slid down the slide on her own.  A lot of the times she was dragging the yellow matt, bigger than she was and easily 10-15lbs up the stairs with her.  She barely even slowed down.  I just couldn’t believe she kept going because the stairs are much harder than average to climb because it is inflatable, and any other person on the entire thing would cause them to wiggle and require more work to keep balanced.  She attacked that thing with abandon.  No wonder we have a hard time meeting her energy needs at home.  lol

They welcomed little Gloria today to the Gleeson clan.  One lucky baby, with lots of great brother’s and sisters.

My parents came to town and took us out to eat for my birthday.  The pictures we took were phenomoninally bad, to the point Zach and I didn’t even erase them because, as a group, are so bad they are funny.   Here are a few that aren’t just horrifying.

The evening was really wonderful though.  Good food, happy family, what more can a person ask for?  What a great way to bring in another year.

Grandma & Grandpa came for the small birthday party (we are having the big party with friends this summer).  Zane choose the cake and the menu.  For supper we had cheeseburgers and cheetos (Zane had Jalapino cheetos that he saw in the store).  The cake was chocolate and very tasty.  When Zach first picked up a smaller cake that resembled Zora’s, Zane said “No, Zora’s cake” and went and got the chocolate rectangle cake instead. 

We ate supper, then opened gifts, then had cake and ice cream.  My folks couldn’t stay long because there was a storm headed in, but Zane seemed to understand why they had to leave earlier than usual and remained happy through the evening.

Happy Birthday my Beautiful Son.  I think you have officially left “little kid” now.  It is going too fast.

My birthday girl celebrated this evening.  Grandma & Grandpa and Uncle Steve all came to celebrate with us.  Since the weather has been so unpredictable this winter, we decided to move the “big” party (joint party for both kids) to this summer, where we invite friends and be able to play outdoors. 

We had a quiet family party with pizza, cake and ice cream.  Zane got her a shopping basket, Grandma got a purse filled with little purse things (play cell phone, key ring, wallet, and things like that) and a few dress up outfits and necklace.  We got her some cloth “sorting bags”.  It is five different colored bags with cloth food in matching colors. 

Zora was on top of the world.  She even figured out how to blow out the candles and was warming up to Steve by the end of the evening.  She was very excited about all of her gifts and carried them around the rest of the evening.  (it helps when your brother gives you this great shopping basket.  lol)

Zane was a bit sad.  Zach talked to him for a while tonight and by the time he went to bed he was ok again, and he handled the party ok even though it was hard for him.  He was excited to get her a present and he liked the cake and ice cream.  It is hard to watch your sibling be the center of attention as a kid.  I remember it being hard even when I was old enough to know how to be gracious, and it is worse when you are a little kid.  It does helps a little bit that he doesn’t have to wait long for his day instead of months.

Zane took the necklace and put it over both of them.

Happy Birthday my big girl!  You are growing up entirely too fast!

For the nostalgic:  Zora’s Birth, Zora’s First Birthday.

Play time!

His last day of the semester at the university speech therapy.  If I am able to I want to upload a video of this because you have to hear it to understand how crazy this picture actually is.  They are trying to get the kids to play “Go Fish” with no visual supports.  It is a study in echolalia with rather dizzying results.  (sort of a “Who’s on First” experience)  She is a bit older than Zane, but they are at a similar level.  She is very chatty though where Zane is pretty quiet.

Party Time!

At one of Zane’s friend’s birthday party last week.  It was at a place called “Pump it Up” and had these huge inflatable play structures.  Zora has no fear and was trying to climb the ladder to the really big slide by herself and didn’t want to wait to get settled to go down.  Zane took a bit longer to warm up to the big slide, but at the end, he didn’t want to stop.  lol.

Grandma Time!

This week Grandma came up with lots of goodies to play with:  paint, stickers, markers, giant pieces of paper and little notebooks.  (oh, and food…spaghetti, always a hit).  For the first time, Zora wasn’t the least bit hesitant for Mom and Dad to leave.  She was yelling bye-bye at us when we picked up the keys and seemed delighted that she was going to get some Grandma time.  Zane, as usual, was quite happy too. 

After they played with that, they decorated Christmas cookies with candy.  Zane ate most of them right after he decorated them, but at least he ate the whole cookie.  Zora kept licking the toppings off and leaving the cookie. 

The both sacked out shortly after Grandma left.  She wore them out.