Let's Talk About: Safety

My love.

Today we heard bad news about a lovely young man who died in a motorcycle accident.

That makes three young men who attend church with us who have died within the last year. All were much too young. All died in reckless activities.

As a result, there are children who will never be born. Young ladies who will never call them "husband". And mothers who will never feel whole again.

So I ask you my darling - Please be safe. Have proper respect for things that can hurt you, like cars, guns, and motorcycles. Don't live in fear, but be smart.

What do I mean? Abide by the speed limit. Don't ever drink and drive. Don't text and drive. Don't drive tired. Don't keep guns loaded - if you even have a gun. It is my preference that you never own one. Don't be tempted by speed. If you really want to ride a motorcycle, take a safety course and always wear a helmet. Don't ride at night when cars can't see you. And don't go too fast. That is never safe, and never a good idea.

If you have friends who want to break these rules, find new friends. Good friends should not be dangerous people.

There are no guarantees in life, sweetheart. We are never promised a single day of a year. We can't be sure that we can try again tomorrow. So do it right the first time, darling. Be careful. Be happy, but respect that life is a fragile, beautiful thing.

If you do, it's more likely that you'll have precious children in your future. You'll have a wife who loves you beyond words! And your mother will be so thankful for each day she has with you.

She already is.

Be careful, baby. Do it so you can BE.

Mommy Rave: Naptime

I LOVE naptime!

No, it's not what you think.

Naptime is the sweetest part of our day. That's when I get to hold the busiest little guy on earth. You settle down in my arms, sitting sideways on my lap with your cheek resting on my chest. I have you bundled in a blanket. I make the recliner rock. You know what this means and you don't fight it at all. Within a couple minutes, you're asleep.

I keep holding and rocking you for about 10 minutes - until you start to sweat. Sounds weird, but you sweat when you're really asleep.

Then comes the hard part. I have to put you in your crib. I don't want to. I love holding you, little boy. Love, love, love. But if I don't rest you in your crib soon, I hold you too long and it makes you wake up when I try to put you in your crib. Ten minutes after you zonk out is the perfect time. Even though I haven't had my fill, I have to do it. Then I creep out and do those boring mommy things: laundry, dishes, baking. I listen for you to wake. You're always on my mind!

Thanks for making naptime such a treat my love.

XOXOXOX

Two is not so terrible

Tiny squirming boy,

You turned two on Thursday! You did it! What a happy day for you. You took the early approach - you got up at 6 a.m. and began your day with a nap next to Daddy on the couch. I can't remember when you got your first gift, but you were very entitled all day.

We went out for lunch and you feasted on Mac and cheese. Then you took a monstrous nap (3.5 hours!) while your southern grandma and I went shopping. We bought you even more presents! After you woke up, we went out for dinner at Fritz's Railroad Restaurant. The food is awful, terribly awful, but it is delivered by a small train. Trains circle the interior of the restaurant at all times. And since this was a very train birthday for you, it was perfect. You absolutely loved it! It was the first time we'd ever taken you out to a restaurant and then had to do very little to keep you happy. We will go back to Fritz's any time for you... But we might pack our own dinner. ;)

You opened more gifts at home - a cloth John Deere tractor book sewed together by Uncle Ken, a Thomas the Train set from Grandma and Grandpa Tractor, a load of train toys from your mom and dad, some Hot Wheels, and a school bus shaped Magna Doodle. We have more gifts for you but we're spacing them out so you can appreciate them better.

You rewarded us by sleeping through the night last night. I know, we thought we had conquered that! But then you and I took a trip to visit Uncle Ken and Auntie Kari, and sleep habits went out the window. We had to share a bed there, and you kind of liked that. You liked waking up at night and finding mommy there. I became your pillow. I stopped sleeping when you stopped sleeping. How very convenient for you.

How I love you, my darling. You are the cutest little boy in the world. You're very clever and you're sweet. We will do all we can to make sure you don't have a "terrible two" year.

By the way - your new words include bowl - "bow", shirt - "turt", and church - "turtch". You also jibber jabber about things, and usually the last syllable is a real word. "Bellabalala duredurga ba?" is something about a ball. I get it. :) It amazes me when other people hear you talk - they don't understand a thing. I feel like your interpreter sometimes. And I like that. I think we should always be together, ok?

XOXOX