Potty Time

PSA – I’m ending the numbering of my d’s beginning with this post. It’s too confusing for you, especially if you read a story about d1 pooping his pants and then begin to look at my husband funny because you’re thinking I wrote that about him, etc. So, effective immediately, I will be using their legal names. I didn’t before because I thought I was keeping them safe from child predators but the truth is those people are everywhere and not naming my child on a blog post isn’t really going to keep them any safer. If I wanted to be sure they were never kidnapped, I would have to place them in an underground shelter to forever live as hermits and that is just plain crazy. Now, that being said, if anyone ever does decide to nab a one of my boys, I will hunt them down. Capish? I may not be very intimidating but you don’t mess with Mama Bear's babies. Okay, so now that we have that out of the way….

These days, we’re just as busy as ever but with the added fun of potty training a 2½ year old. Oh yes, good times. I’ll be honest, though – I didn’t even want to start potty training but Ms. Harris, Dayne’s teacher, told me it was time. He was staying dry all day {including naps} and using the potty but losing all he learned when he came home because Mommy was lazy. Not her words but mine. On a recent trip to the park {before we officially started 'training'}, he told me he had to go potty and I told him to go in his diaper. Boy, I bet he was confused.

However, I’m happy to announce that it’s been about three weeks and he’s had only a handful of accidents, which includes naps and overnights. That’s also excluding the twenty-four hour span of time where he either had a small bout of food poisoning or he picked up a digestive-tract-clearing bug on the playground. That was probably my weakest moment where I almost reached for a diaper because I was sick of cleaning up diarrhea every time he tooted. FYI - It’s a whole lot easier to do it with a Pampers on than a pair of undies.

Dayne is also known as Romeo at school. Yes, my baby boy has himself a woman and they are about the cutest little couple I’ve ever seen. Her name is Madison and, according to Dayne’s teachers, they act like they’ve been married for years. He pushes her chair up to the table at lunch, tucks her in at nap and says, ‘No poo-poo in your diaper, Ma-uh-sen.’ Just give them some Depends and a bottle of Fixodent and they're ready to be shipped off to Shady Pines together.

Allow me to present the Mr. and Mrs. of Toddler G....



On a related potty note, I’ll go ahead and mention this, although Davis will likely disown me one day. Earlier this week, Dagen and Davis woke up and, while getting ready for school, Dagen told Dallas that Davis had an accident the night before in bed. Now, they don’t sleep together – they have rooms across the hall from each other – so how did he know this and we didn’t? Well, apparently Davis was crying in the middle of the night when he woke up wet and Dagen told him to come in his room and tell him what was wrong. When he told him, Dagen got up and helped him change his clothes and get him dry bedding before both getting back in bed without ever even waking us up. I was blown away at their team work – Davis for seeking out his brother’s help and Dagen for sacrificing his comfort and sleep to help his brother out so that he didn’t have to wake us up. This is one story I don’t want to forget – especially when almost all other memories are of them beating each other to death. When it comes down to it, I have been blessed with some tender-hearted little boys.

{FTR, Davis doesn’t have a bed-wetting problem. I’m certain he would want that cleared up. He did have a lot to drink before bed and I probably told him no when he asked to go to the bathroom after he was already in bed because I probably thought he was stalling bedtime so shame on me. There, sweet child of mine, is your defense. Please forgive me for the embarrassment.}

Maybe this next tidbit of news will help Dave out in the ‘coolness’ department. Do you remember when I caught him on video singing his heart out to a Casting Crowns song? Naturally, I uploaded to Facebook, YouTube and added the link to the local Christian radio station’s FB page. Well, if you will recall, the DJ {Rob Dempsey} played it on the air one morning and it was super neat to hear my baby belting it out. Even cooler is when I got an email yesterday from Rob Dempsey himself asking me to call him ASAP. I thought it bizarre but did it anyway. He asked if we would be interested in attending the HisRadio’s 2011 Holiday Fundraising Gala on December 6th and they’re going to play Dave’s video for the audience. Isn't that crazy exciting? Ah, my little worship pastor in the making - the next Joel Houston....

Do Unto Others

Earlier this month when I attended Catalyst, I heard a message from Judah Smith. If you haven’t heard any of his preaching, you’re doing a disservice to yourself. This dude is charismatic and captivating. He leads The City Church in Seattle and his messages are unique but very clear-cut and oh-so-compelling. And he’s probably the only other guy besides Steven Furtick that can pull off skinny jeans. That doesn’t mean I don’t still think they look funny but I don’t cringe as much….

Anyway, when I came back and shared with Dallas, he started listening to Judah’s podcasts and can’t get enough of them. You should check them out sometime. BEWARE –you will quickly become an addict. There are worse things than being addicted to sermons, right? Nod your head, the answer is yes.

I’m not just rambling on and on about Judah – I do have a point to this story. A couple of days ago, Dallas came home and was telling me about the message he listened to earlier that day. Judah does something with his children that we’re starting with ours. When Dallas drops Dagen and Davis off at school {which very soon might be ME doing – WOOP – and picking up – double WOOP}, he reminds them of three things, a pact of sorts – ‘Because we are Darnell’s and we love the Lord, we are going to:

1) Be kind
2) Be encouraging
3) Look for lonely people

Simple yet pretty profound, right? We know it might take a while for some of it to really ‘click’ but I think it’s a great reminder each morning for how they can be more like Jesus with those three easy actions.

It’s weird that this happened – Dallas hearing that sermon and having that lay on his heart – because it triggered some memories from my past that I guess I’ve tried really hard to repress. It just so happens that these memories cover all three of the above actions - or, rather, the lack thereof.

When I was in the 4th grade, we lived in Massachusetts. There was a classmate of mine - we’ll call her ‘Callie’ - who I assume had some developmental delays and it was pretty obvious that she was from a very poor home. She talked funny, her hair was always a hot mess and her clothes were usually the same three sweat-suits rotated out. But what I do remember is her trying so hard to ‘fit in’ with the other girls, particularly me. She wanted to and tried so hard to be my friend yet all I wanted to do was make fun of her. While I made my friends laugh, I made ‘Callie’ cry - daily. I was a ruthless, wretched bully.

Here I am, two decades later, and I am just sickened by my behavior. That was someone’s child! That was somebody’s baby girl that I treated like garbage! Who on earth did I think I was to act like I was any better than her? I wasn’t wearing Z Cavaricci jeans and K-Swiss, either. I was poor, too, but apparently I figured that if I kept the attention on ‘Callie’ being underprivileged, no one would notice I had the same pair of pants on every day.

I’m not really sure what I can do now. We moved after that year and I never saw her again. Even if I ever find ‘Callie’ now, on Facebook or by some other means of communication, it will never make amends for the person I was or the things that I did to her but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to try.

You know what’s crazy? I can remember all of these details about ‘Callie’ yet I can’t even remember what we ate for dinner last week. As much as I’d like to forget, I think I was supposed to remember so that someday I would feel the burning conviction in my soul and turn it into something good. Maybe it has something to do with my burden now for the homeless, the impoverished, the hopeless. Maybe it’s just another way God is going to use something I did that was so awful to bring Him glory. Just maybe.

I know you hear that ‘kids are just mean these days,’ that it’s ‘normal’ and all a part of growing up but it’s not. It’s never normal and it’s never okay. Just because that’s how it’s always been doesn’t mean that’s how it always needs to be. Teach your children to love themselves and love others like Jesus loves them. Imagine a world where we all applied the Golden Rule. It is not impossible – nothing is. {Luke 1:37}

Pumpkin Patch 2011

We headed out today after church to a local pumpkin patch. I was able to snap a few pics of the crew but, believe me, it was no easy task. Here's just a sample of the many complaints --

'Why do you want another picture?'
'AGAIN? You just took one of me with a pumpkin.'
'Oh my gosh, I'm so tired of smiling.'

The next time I convince myself that we're ready to skip on over naps to do something fun, remind me that it's not worth the headache. Sunday has and always should be a day of rest and that goes for the entire family.

Just to prove that I wasn't kidding about the aversion to posing--how's that for a Cranky McCrankster?

For whatever reason, his tune changed a few moments later...probably after someone mentioned ice cream...

Darnell boys posing as farm animals, though d2 and D1 need to switch places if we are correctly matching

Loving the 'punkin'

This shot looks like they're all co-existing peacefully when, in reality, they were just breaking from the argument of whose turn it was to sit in the seat

C'mon Muscles!

Photogenic little guy

Is this really necessary? D1 insisted we all sit on the pumpkin, even me.

Let the record show that I posted these within hours of our visit. That never happens but since the Daddy and his boys are attempting to burn down tree stumps in the backyard this afternoon, I figured I should seize the moment to be productive. And by productive, I don't mean cleaning my filthy house. Besides, given the methods they're using to burn said stumps, I may not have a house to clean after they torch the ground on which it stands....

Awakening

As you read this, do you hear anything? If not, turn your speakers on and CRANK.IT.UP.

I wasn’t planning to blog today during my lunch hour but when I heard this song, it ‘inspired’ me to throw a few sentences together and call it a post. This first song in my play list says so much about where D1 and I are right now in our lives and I am overcome with joy and happiness. We have been physically, emotionally and spiritually rocked and there is nothing like it.

Our eyes have been opened to what matters in this life, what is truly important. It’s Jesus. Only Jesus. We live in this abundant life because of His love, because he rescued us from the chains of our sin.

And to add to our recent ‘awakening,’ I was fortunate enough to attend an amazing leadership conference last week in Atlanta called Catalyst. Oh-Em-Gee - it was one of the most incredible experiences ever. I could blog for hours on how it impacted me but you still wouldn’t understand how phenomenal it was. I will say this - if you ever have the chance to attend, do not pass it up. Period. Only thing it was missing was my sweet hubs who stayed behind and allowed me to participate – forever grateful, BigD!

When I say He’s blessing, I mean He’s REALLY blessing us. Are we loaded down rich? Not with money but with the things not of this world we are. Yesterday was just one more example of Romans 8:28 in my life - how He works all things to the good of those who love Him. Though I can’t share just yet the details, I will soon and I am ecstatic but all the glory and gratitude goes to my Provider. It’s nothing I did fo’ sho!

Do you consider me some sort of Jesus ‘freak’ now? Because you should....

Whatever

Life is crazy....again. No time to blog....again. Whatever.

When I was thumbing through pics on my memory card, I realized that I didn't upload several good ones so I'm just throwing the pictures up here with some quick captions. If the photos aren't self explanatory, come up with your own story but make it good. And if your story involves boogers or BM's, you might be right on.

Check out the creeper in the background.....he is such a goob

Memorial Day visit from S&K and their sweet twin girls, Ava & Cora

d2's last day of K-4

Summer Baseball 2011

Pay special attention to this funny shot. The cupcake was so irresistable that it had to be eaten during the team prayer....for once, it wasn't a child of mine.....