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More Kieferisms – Deep thoughts by an almost 4 year old

Talking about his upcoming birthday next week, he asked me, “Mommy, how old are you?”
I said I’m almost 38!
He asked, “Will I be 38 when I’m that tall?”  Then he asked how old Daddy is,
“He’s 41.”
More processing… then, “When I’m 65, how old will you be?”
“I’ll be almost 97!!” Wondering in my mind if I’ll actually still be around to see him as a 65 year old man.  “Mommy, when I’m 10, then I”ll be 11.” “Yes, that’s right!”  Then… “When I’m 11, you’ll be 14.”
 I wish! “Then we would be friends and I wouldn’t be your mommy.”
“When I’m 11, you can be 10 and Daddy can be 14.”
Sounds good to me!

Age, it’s all in attitude anyways right?

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How to bake the love in

We had some special friends to dinner the other night and I made my Grandmother’s recipe for homemade apple pie – including homemade crust.  As I used her rolling pin, antique pie pan and referred to her recipe, I couldn’t help but think of the countless pies she made for others.  She would bake people’s favorite pies for their birthdays – double crust apple for TJ, blueberry for Uncle Leonard, pumpkin for Bradley… and she would nearly stalk them to make sure they returned her pie pans (but wouldn’t imagine using a tinfoil pan!) Even when her fingers were completely numb and her hands were so hard to manipulate she would still peel the apples, core and cut them into slices and nimbly work the edge of the crust.  I’ve learned baking and cooking are a way to show people how much they mean to you. That you’re willing to go to the extra effort to make the crust from scratch, to peel and core the apples… to bake the love in.  It tastes better that way!

Rolling out the dough with Grammy’s rolling pin

Grammy’s Blue Bird antique pie pan

Grammy’s “Fool Proof” Pie crust

“Home is where your story begins” sign in the background

A sink full of skins

Grammy’s secret ingredient: Harvey’s Bristol Cream

YUM!

Carter making his pie

Carter joined the fun in time to make his own little pie

Carter enjoying apple skins

Carter likes to make his own pie with extra apple skins baked in

Kiefer enjoying long apple skins

Baking the love in!

“Look, Mommy!  It’s the number 6!”

“Looks good hope it tastes good!” And it was delicious!
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Kieferisms – Theology of an almost four year old

Kiefer has been asking some really cute questions and observations that only an almost four year old could say… I wanted to capture some before I forget…

The other night while watching the sunset on our drive home from the lake he asked, “Where does God keep his paintbrush?”  (we usually say, “Look at that beautiful sunset that God painted in the sky tonight!”)

He and Carter were having a theological debate in the backseat of the car on the way to church about whether God can see us everywhere we go… .”Yes he can!” Carter said emphatically, “No he can’t!” argued Kiefer.  They continued to the point of tears!  I had to step in and agree that the Bible says that God can see us and can see everything…

A few days later, in the middle of the day Kiefer asked, “How can God see us if we can’t see him?”  Then after a pause, excited said, “I know how God can see us – he uses a telescope!”

Another time we were driving in the evening (now that the sun sets so much earlier!) we came to a round-about that has red lights to illuminate a decorative cement planter and Kiefer says… “Look! It’s the burning bush!”

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Mom, Can you fix this?

Kiefer has adopted a new friend.  His furry little yellow puppy dog that he calls “Abby”.  This week he came to me holding the puppy’s ear and said, “Mommy, can we superglue his ear back on?”  No, we couldn’t glue it, but we could sew it.  So fortunately, we had a window of time in the afternoon when it was just the two of us and we went down to the sewing room and fixed it.

So often projects get pushed aside and I don’t have or make the time to fix them.  I tried to stop what I was doing just then to fix it because it was important to Kiefer.

I also couldn’t help but think that I’m grateful for the simplicity of childhood.  That so often the “tragedies” that the ball and lose it over aren’t actually tragedies at all. I try to gently say as much in the midst of their agony, “Oh…, at least this is something we can fix.”

After attending a funeral this week of my dear friend’s brother who died very suddenly and unexpectedly – I’m grateful for the little things that I can fix.  Loss does help us put our life in perspective.

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Variety Shows

You never know what you’re going to find around the Jay household on a given day.  This morning, it was a train show… set up in our front hallway.  Trains one day, puppet show, airplane show or chimney sweep show the next.  I love that they get all wrapped up in the thing d’jour.  Every day it’s something new but always entertaining! And worth the cost of admission!

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Proud to be an American

Carter’s artwork for this week it says “Defending Freedom”
Carter’s school had a Veteran’s day program today and we took up a whole row with his fan club. Carter made all the calls and invited all his grandparents and he wanted to invite Mikail. Everyone gladly accepted and Mikail said he would plan to wear his dress blues uniform.  He looked fantastic! He even shaved his head for the occasion! The program completely exceeded my expectations.  It was quite a tribute to the men and women who have fought for our country’s freedoms and who have made the sacrifice to serve for our country.  I’m so glad that our children are learning about this!  I know I never did as a child!  There’s something about children’s voices singing in unison… the National Anthem, the Pledge of Allegiance… then each grade level shared some facts and sang the theme song of each division of the armed forces.  Carter’s class sang to the Navy… I’ve heard him practicing… “Anchors away my boys, anchors away…goodbye to college days…ships ahoy…”  but to hear them all together and see them marching and saluting.  It was precious!  They had any veterans or military personnel from each branch stand and allow the children to sing a tribute to them.  When it was the Marines, Mikail stood at attention.  So tall, so humble, so deserving of a parade in his honor for his SEVEN years of service!  Memories came flooding back to me of the day he enlisted. The tears I shed that day because the war had just started.  How he had to put school on hold to serve during the Katrina disaster and then again for the whole year last year when he was in Iraq and Afghanistan.  We’ve watched him grow up, from his seventh birthday party where we first met and roller skated together to dancing with him at our wedding. Seeing him make a straight face in his ROTC uniform in high school and then earning his Marine uniform coming back from bootcamp so skinny and looking much older than his enlistment photo.  To this mature man before us.  A Marine.  A decorated Marine.  SO thankful that his tour ended safely.  The prayers lifted up on his behalf.  Little voices remembering him during dinner and bedtime prayers and those random grocery store “I hope Mikail is ok” prayers.   The too few care packages we sent that reached him months later.  Imagining him in his tiny bunker. Seeing web video of his glamorous sleeping conditions and carrying the 80 lb bulletproof vest and 20 lb machine gun and I don’t even know how much amo weighs.  He’s a Marine.  He’s seen more darkness than I even know.  But still has such a tender heart and has won the affections of our children.    After the ceremony where I think all the grandfathers shed tears! (I know I did!)  And our hearts were swelling with American pride… then the Marine changed into combat clothes and single handedly took on the boyz for some man-to-man combat in the basement. He was talking to me today about his school plans and when he’s done about joining Big Brothers to serve as a Big… I told him later he’s serving in that role to our four boyz.   We love you Mikail!  Thanks for all you are to our family and all that you’ve done to serve our country!  We salute you!!  We’re so proud of you and the man you have become!  

our fan club saving seats

Mikail and Kiefer

The school children

Papa Dick stood as an Army veteran

A decorated Marine

Me & my Marine & Griffin, too

Who’s the Big Brother now?

Carter ran to the car to see Mikail

And gave him a HUGE hug!

He can’t help but stand tall & proud

He’s our hero!!

Carter & Mikail

Kiefer & Mikail

Man on man combat – a Marine vs. Superman

Balls were bouncing, kids were flying… it was war

Kiefer kept coming back for more… “Can you do that again?!”
Superman can fly!

Tickle wars!
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A new one for the Top 10 list

“You don’t brush your baby brother’s teeth!”

This morning while I was attempting to get ready I put Fletcher down in his crib thinking it was the safest place for him and I finished doing my hair real quickly in my bathroom. When I got done my mother’s instinct radar kicked in and I went to go check on Fletcher and I caught Griffin climbing down from the chair he’d moved over to the crib and I see a few books he’d tossed into the crib and I notice that Fletcher’s face was all gummed up with drool… but so was his cheek, his hair, and his hood.  I see Griffin running away with his toothbrush and toothpaste in his hand…. “Griffin, did you brush the baby’s teeth?”  “No” he says as I see a blur of the back of his shirt.  I think in 2 year old logic and ask again, “Griffin, did you TRY to brush the baby’s teeth?” (because clearly, he doesn’t have any!) and Griffin turns around and looks at me and says “Yaaa” with a big smile.  I couldn’t help but laugh and was thankful it was the edible children’s toothpaste.  Another one for the history books!

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A Jolly Holiday!

Some days you bump and stutter through the day and other days are days you bounce and float… today we floated and swept through the day!  Just a spoonful of sugar… made it a delightful day!
Here are the highlights…

 “Chim Chim a Roo!”  Chimney sweeps serenading Papa Tom

 Childhood is a “Step in time”

 Lucky Sweeps

 Serenading Nana

 Just blow me a kiss, and that’s lukkeey too

 Mary Poppins floated in to join the sweeps

 Supercalifragilisticexpeallidocious baby Fletcher & Mary Poppins

 Being Shy

 Tuckered out Super baby

 Even Jim got into the spirit of things, too!

 The Boyz helped me pack my bag, I had a makeup compact, tape measure, large silver spoon & their magic chimney sweep dust that made them real chimney sweeps  (Carter wanted me to put a lamp in my bag!)

 The road show continued … serenading Papa & Gigi

 Griffin was more interested in driving the tractor

 and digging out the dirt in Papas playpen – the back of his pick up truck

Good thing it didn’t matter if they got dirty!

 Kiefer did a little brick moving to make a chimney

 Kiefer at the neighborhood trick or treating

 The fire department told the boyz he’d hire them to help prevent chimney fires! 🙂

 In the neighborhood parade

 A friend from the neighborhood – she must be lucky to be surrounded by two sweeps!

 Carter excited about his loot!

Kiefer is too!  It was a Happy Halloween!!!

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Highlights of the week

I’ve learning there’s not much time for this blogging thing…  surprise, surprise! 🙂  So I’m catching up a bit.  Last week we had a few funny moments.  Sometimes it’s the simplest things that amuse the boyz…

One morning when Jim drove Carter to the bus stop, sweet Kiefer says “I wish I could go to school in the dark….” as he wistfully looked out the window watching his brother and Daddy-o drive away.  I’m fairly certain he won’t always feel that way!

Griffin is really getting into books and if you ever can’t find him, he’s usually upstairs reading… here he is a few times caught reading!

 Doing the “Prilly Pose”

Fletcher is rolling around now… here he is on the playmat with his blankie wrapped around his head like a turban because he’s been twisting around so much!

 And the best after school activity yet!  They decided one day that they wanted to wash their blankies and “Ellie” spelled L-E (I’m told) in their own wash load so they could watch them whirl and spin.  It was 10 minutes of peace and quiet for me, so I gladly accepted! Hilarious!  Who knew the spin cycle could be so entertaining?

Our pumpkins that we carved a few weeks ago imploded… so we started over.  Here are our four little pumpkins carving their punkins…  no injuries, either. It was a success! (In case you wondered it’s hard to make a mean face as requested by Kiefer)

 Ice cream scoops are good at getting the guck out!

 Even Fletcher was into it…

 Carter wanted to keep all the seeds to plant more pumpkins… I did too, but it’s easier to buy seeds next spring!

Then it cracked me up when they made this five hitch wagon get up in the driveway.  They amused themselves for quite sometime with this activity!  And then there’s Kiefer, always with his blankie in tow- like Linus.

 note the red flag on the very back…

 Linus… I mean Kiefer.

And then we had to practice trick or treating – with treats, of course.

Next stop is the real deal!

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Just a spoonful of sugar!

Mary Poppins has long been a favorite movie around the Jay household. (Even before there were any little Jays! It’s always been one of my favorites!)  But we ramped it up a notch when I took the (older) boyz to see the musical about a month ago.  Since then we’ve had a lot of balancing acts on the edge of the sofa to perform “Step in Time” and lots of dusters and mops used as chimney sweep brooms.  Even Griffin is getting into the act and carrying around a little duster saying “Chim Chim Chim a ROOO!”  Carter has decided he wants to be Burt for Halloween.  So I’m trying to rig up a Mary Poppins costume to go along with the act.  Last week they pulled stools together in the basement and put on a whole show for me & Daddy-o.  Carter was a natural Emcee.  Not sure where he’s seen a variety show but it rivaled the Lawrence Welk show for sure!

Today we made some homemade sugar cookies and cut them out in the shapes of pumpkins, half moons, cats, bats and the like.  Baking with the Boyz is always an adventure!  We did well – until I turned my back for a second – I think to run upstairs and get Griffin so he could join in the fun of icing a cookie or two. And when I came back Carter had literally dumped the WHOLE jar of sugar sprinkles on one cookie!  I’m grateful that I had grace in that moment and I just laughed and asked where he got ahold of that?  (Silly Mommy for leaving it out on the counter and leaving the room!)

But then it happened again when Griffin was icing his cookie. I paused to pick up my camera to capture a moment or two of the mayhem and caught him in the act of dumping “Just a SPOONFUL OF SUGAR”…. in the most delightful way!!! 🙂