Slushies and Swords

I heard the familiar words again today when someone noticed my belly: "That must be a boy!" Of course, I'm not going to give too much thought to it. Not because she was the car hop at Sonic, but because it took this particular Sonic 20 minutes to make 3 small slushies. If they can't handle efficiently making slushies, I don't think I'll take their baby predictions seriously.

I bet you didn't see what I saw tonight. We had a three man sword fight in our backyard! One was armed with a broom, one with a mop, and the other with a ceiling fan duster. I would like to report that no one was harmed, but there was one casualty. Coleman took a good whop to the face with the mop. I think he'll be OK though. I should have gotten my camera to take some pictures, but I was having too much fun just watching. These boys love their Daddy!

Fun Monday

Coleman and Spence were invited to a birthday party today at Chuck E. Cheese. It was so nice to be there on a Monday morning. No crowds! They had such a fun time! Before we left for the party I had Coleman sign the birthday card. I usually write out his name on a piece of paper and let him copy it, but today I just told him the letters and he wrote them. This is the best he's ever written his name. I was really impressed with the "m" and "n."

Spence playing air hockey

We love you, Chuck E!

This afternoon Spence found a tape measure and they played with it for quite a while. Then Coleman, who was in a creative mood, used it and his Easter basket to create a "crane lift." He enjoyed showing me how it worked. I know I'm his mommy, but I just love how his mind works. I definitely see that he has his Daddy's brains. He's very left-brained! I hope he gets a little of my right-brainedness also though.

Coleman's invention: the crane lift. He tied the measuring tape to the basket, then looped the tape over the banister.

On Such a Beautiful Afternoon...

Brian just had to take the boys on a bike ride! They went yesterday also, and it was Spence's first bike ride in the trailer. What a fun thing to do with Daddy!

All buckled into the bike trailer

The boys riding off

Since I don't have a bike, I took Maestro on a walk. We had fun too.

We had an amazing day at church that I have to share about! I've been on the Children's Minister search committee for the last year and a half (I believe that's about how long) and today our church voted to call the young woman God led to us! I am so excited and know she is going to be wonderful. Just had to share that!

What Did That Lemon Ever Do To You?

Our playgroup today met at a Mexican restaurant that has a playground. I was a little iffy on going because Spence has been going through a testing phase and requiring some strong discipline. (Cover your ears, Grandma.) I know he's not an angel, but he is usually pretty well behaved and does what he is told. Lately he's really been pushing the limits though. Our Sunday School lesson this past week was on raising children and discipline, so it came at the perfect time. Isn't that so like God? I whipped him into shape (no pun intended) before we left and he and Coleman both did great at the restaurant. It was so nice to eat my fajita enchiladas in peace! One of the other moms even commented on how calm my boys always are and how nice they are to each other. I told her she just catches us on good days! As I was getting Spence ready for his nap, I was telling him how pleased I was with how he acted at the restaurant. Here's our conversation. Check out his little sense of humor!

Mommy: Spence, I'm so proud of how good you were at the restaurant!
Spence: But I not good.
Mommy: You weren't?
Spence: No. I hit someone!
Mommy: Who did you hit?
Spence: A lemon!
Mommy: Do you know what the punishment is for hitting a lemon?
Spence: What?
Mommy: A pooter kiss!!!

Then Coleman came into the room so I was telling him the story and asking if he saw Spence hit this alleged lemon. He did not, but he told me that he hit a potato. This of course led to a game of "what did you hit and what is the punishment." We had so much fun! I have to remind myself to slow down and just have some silly time with the boys. Before I know it, they might not be telling me funny stories and letting me give them pooter kisses on their bellies. Oh sorrowful day!

Baby No Name

The only thing I haven't liked about not finding out this baby's gender is not being able to know what his or her name will be. We have a girl name, but will we get to use it? We can't settle on a boy name, but will we even need it? Coming up with a name is seriously what I consider the most stressful part of having a baby! As a child, I always loved to name my dolls, Barbies, and paper dolls. I could sit for hours and come up with names I just loved to fit each doll. So I thought it would be so exciting to get to name my children. How wrong could I have been?!? I know there has to be a perfect name out there to fit our child if it is a boy, but we've yet to come across it. So I'm opening up this comment section for you to leave me your boy name suggestions! I know most of you think we're having a girl, but Pik family history points strongly toward "boy," so I don't want to be caught completely unprepared come June! Help me out! And FYI, Brian doesn't want to use any name that could be considered a girl name also. Can't wait to hear some suggestions!

My Child, The Billy Mays Expert

Ever since Coleman started watching our non-cable cartoon channel, Qubo, he's been enjoying the infomercial-like-commercials. We turned on the TV this afternoon to see Billy Mays advertising some sort of yard tool. Coleman said, "Let's see what all he's going to give you!" He wouldn't let me turn the channel until it was over! Coleman wanted me to see all the attachments and the bonus drill that you got if you ordered. Mays also has a commercial where he screams about a slider station. I asked Coleman what happened to the burger commercial, and he responded, "He still has the burger commercial, but he does this too. I don't know all about the burgers, just some of the burgers." I ought not leave him alone with the phone and my credit card while he watches TV!

Scroll down for more stories from today...

He Says What's On His Mind

He's at it again! Speaking his mind, making me laugh!

While pointing at my belly and talking to a friend at Bible study, Coleman said, "Hey, Preston. That big lump is the baby."

Tomorrow we have four college guys staying over night with us. They are part of a choir from Baylor College that will be performing a concert at our church. As we came in from Bible study, I was thinking out loud, wondering what I needed to get done to prepare for them.

Mommy: What do I need to do today?
Coleman: I suppose you need to vacuum.

I suppose if a 4 year old thinks the floor needs vacuuming, it probably does!

And, this is really sad, but let me tell you one of the highlights of my day so far. I noticed Spence had a poopy diaper as I was buckling him in the car to leave for Bible study, so I just dropped him off in his class and let them know he was dirty. I didn't have to change it! This was such a treat because he always saves his poopies for Mommy! Of course Bible study was a highlight also, but not having to change a dirty diaper really made me smile.

And since this is just a mish mash of occurrences, let me go ahead and tell you about the flowers I got yesterday. I came home and there was a box of fresh flowers on my doorstep. I wondered Who would be sending me flowers? The card read, "Thanks for lending me your man." Whoa!!! That didn't sound right, but luckily I recognized the name within the next second or two. They were from Brian's boss. I guess he felt guilty about Brian's long hours for the last few weeks. Isn't that sweet? I figured it's not often that I get flowers from another man, so I might as well have a little fun with Brian. After all, he's played a practical joke or two on me. I made a new card for the flowers that read: I've loved you since I first laid eyes on you. Meet me Thursday for lunch at Taste of Texas." My intention was for Brian to think that I thought the flowers were from him, but he would wonder who in the world they could be from. Apparently his boss had told Brian he was thinking of sending me flowers, so poor Brian thought his boss sent me flowers on his behalf. I don't think he knew what to think! I didn't wait long to show him the real card, and we had a laugh. Anyway, I love having fresh flowers in the house, but it's not something I splurge on very often. I'll enjoy them while they last!

Add Another One to the Injured List

As Coleman's elbows were beginning to heal, Spence fell on the sidewalk and scraped his knees. It was pretty bad! This happened Friday (I think), so they are already scabbing over and not causing too many problems anymore. Spence would love for you to click on the picture, then lean in toward your computer screen and give his knees a nice, big kiss!

Which One Will Be Returned???

My first purchase for the baby!

I finally found two cute onesies that I liked enough to buy. The store didn't have a "little sister" onesie in newborn size, but I thought the ladybug was pretty cute. It was nice to finally buy something for this little one! Which one do you think I'll have to return (or regift!)?

And, now some pictures from Nana and Poppa's house.

It's all fun and games canoing around the backyard, until...

someone falls backwards in the boat.

No fractures, just some scrapes on both elbows. The sling is just for dramatic effect. Actually, it was the only thing that would calm him down. The neosporin and band aids did little to relieve his pain. He wore the sling around for about 2 hours, then decided he was better. He was pretty mad at me for taking his picture, but I couldn't resist! Who would believe me if I said he wore a sling after scraping his elbows? (My mom had the sling from when she broke her arm a few years ago.)

Spring for SIDS

My mom's group, First Colony Moms, is sponsoring a team in honor of Kristen Clarke Reed, the 4 month old daughter of our friend, Erin Reed, who passed away March 6, 2009 from SIDS. We are trying to raise money for The American SIDS foundation, which is dedicated to the prevention of sudden infant death syndrome and the promotion of infant health through research, education and family support. You can donate online ($20 minimum) by clicking here. Put 'First Colony Moms' in the space that says "Team or Baby's name donation is in honor of:". If you would like to make a smaller donation, I will be selling "Spring for SIDS" stickers for $5. You can give me or send me the money and I'll send you the sticker. Spring for SIDS Day is April 24th. Thanks for helping to honor little Kristen's memory.

My First Giveaway!

FREE with a catch!

I got this idea from a friend's blog. Krystal, I hope you don't mind but I made some changes to the wording since there's NO WAY I would sew anything for anybody! And also a lot of the people who read my blog don't have blogs, so I changed the "catch" a little bit. I'm looking forward to whatever Krystal makes for me, and I hope my 5 will look forward to a little somethin' from me!

The first 5 people who respond to this post will get something made by me! Lucky you! My choice. For you. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:
I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
What I create (or choose) will be just for you.
It'll be done this year.
You have no clue what it's going to be. It may be a story. It may be poetry or an article on properly cleaning your face before a mask. I may bake you something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!
I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must re-post this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog. If you don't have a blog, I don't want to exclude you. Here's what you must do: 5 acts of random kindness and then leave a comment on my blog telling me what you did! You know what, acts of kindness are so important, that even if you have a blog you can choose to do the random acts of kindness. Oh, and if you do have a blog be sure to post a picture of what you win from me when you get it!

The Things They Say

*Updated at bottom*

Coleman has learned a new word: stupid. I know it could be worse, but I consider stupid pretty bad. At the Chick-Fil-A play area today a little boy was bothering him so I told Coleman to go tell the little boy to be nice or he was going to have to come sit out. Here's what I heard Coleman yelling at the boy, "Hey, stupid! You need to be nice!" When I got Coleman down and sat him out, I told him we don't call people stupid. Coleman replied, "But I didn't know his name." I guess to a 4 year old that's a valid excuse! Coleman still got in trouble though.

Spence must have learned the finger play Thumbkin at school this week. He's been singing parts of it at home. You know, it's the one that goes Where is Thumbkin? Where is Thumbkin? Here I am! Here I am! So today he said, "Mommy, the punkin song goes: Here I am... (in a singing voice) Then when he couldn't remember the words, "Mommy, it's broken."

Spence also had some funny things to say when he found a photo album with pictures of Brian and me from 1997. As he looked at the pictures he would point and say, "What Mommy do her hair?" or "What Mommy wearing?" I guess 11 years ago is more than 5 lifetimes ago for Spence!

*Update*

I made some brownies and added vanilla extract to give them a little different flavor. I told the boys they could each have a brownie after dinner. After Coleman's first bite, this was how the conversation went:

Coleman: Are these chocolate brownies?
Mommy: They're chocolate and vanilla.
Coleman started tapping his foot loudly against the chair.
Coleman: This tapping means I'm thinking.
Mommy: About what?
Coleman: About what flavor these brownies are. When the tapping stops it means I'm done thinking.
Mommy: Oh, OK.
About 25 taps later the tapping stopped.
Coleman: I'm done! Now I know the flavor! It's chocolate vanilla!
Spence: Banana!

A Prayer for Kristen's Family

Today I will be going to the memorial service for Kristen, the four month old who passed away last week. Please join me in praying for the Reed family.

Dear Jesus,
May Your presence be felt today. I fail to see Your plan through the suffering of this family, but I know that Your ways and Your thoughts are not my own, they are so much higher (Isaiah 55:8-9). As tears stream down my face and grief fills my heart, I call to You for comfort for Kristen's family. As they are surrounded by friends and family today, may they feel even more surrounded by Your love, comfort, and grace. I know they do not understand why this tragedy has come to them. I can only pray that You will fill any and all holes left behind. I want so desperately to let You be seen through me today. I fear that in my humanness, I will fail. I am weak, but You tell me that Your power is made perfect in weakness (2 Cor. 12:9). I don't know what words to speak, but You say that Your Spirit will intercede when I'm at a loss (Rom. 8:26). May my words be few, but my actions show Your boundless love and concern. You alone are Holy God. Blessed be Your Name. Amen.

Funny Weekend Situations

At the end of our church's basketball season, they have a banquet for the kids and their families and the coaches. Hot dogs are served and each coach gets up on stage and talks about his team and hands out medals. Friday night was the banquet, and the boys and I went with Coach Brian. The boys ate their hot dogs and cookies, then it was time for everyone to sit quietly and listen to the presentations. We had a hard time keeping the boys in their seats and quiet. When we got home, Coleman said, "I enjoyed the hot dog and cookies, but I wasn't too happy about having to sit still and be quiet."

Yesterday in the car we were talking about the baby, and Coleman reminded us that he wants a sister. Spence on the other hand wants a brother. This surprises me because he usually just copies whatever Coleman says! We were asking Coleman how he was going to feel if the baby is a boy. He said, "I'll be a little happy if it's a boy, but I'll be super happy if it's a girl!" I figure he'll be happy until she's about 2 and can start bossing him around!

Last night we got home late from a basketball game, so the boys were pretty out of it. Coleman has about 4 stuffed animals and his taggy blanket that he sleeps with, but they were nowhere to be found. Brian read to him while I searched the house. We found some substitute animals to fill in for the night, but he was pretty distraught. He said, "What if some bad guys broke into the house and stole my animals? What if I never see my animals again? But I love my animals!" It was pretty sad. Luckily, when I sat down at the computer, I saw that they were hiding under the desk. I brought them up to Coleman's room, and all was made right.

This afternoon we went to Houston Garden Center to buy some azaleas and mulch for the front bed. When we started in, we noticed a couple arguing with who we assumed was the manager. They were throwing squares of sod out of their trunk and yelling in the manager's face. She was giving it right back to them. This store is in a pretty nice area and the people didn't look dangerous, so we weren't scared, just wondering what was up with that grass. After we selected our plants and came back to the front to pay, we noticed two police cars and policemen taking statements from the couple and the manager. This is usually not the kind of "grass" that involves calling in the police. We never did figure out what the problem was, but it gave us a little entertainment while we shopped! And I'm feeling pretty good about living in an area where the police can be there in a matter of minutes to resolve a dispute over grass. A few years ago when we lived in Houston my car window was busted out and my purse stolen and the police never showed up!

Please Pray for This Family

Please pray for the Reed family. Erin is a mom who is in a mom's group/playgroup that I'm a part of. Her 4 month old daughter, Kristen, passed away yesterday. They believe it was SIDS, but she said there will be further investigation. I almost fell apart when I heard, so I cannot even imagine what they are going through. They have a 3 year old little boy also. Thank you for saying a prayer for this family.

The Bugs of Spring

Spring has officially come to southeast Texas. How do I know? The bugs have arrived! Only in Texas would a june bug make an appearance in early March. And the boys have a new mission: Destroy, kill, and annihilate every bug that dares come near our home. Sorry, I'm studying the book of Esther right now, so those terms just came to mind. The boys carry their sneakers around the house to smush bugs, and just a moment ago, the Batcycle was plowing over a mosquito hawk.

mosquito hawk

The biggest bug mystery is where the june bugs go during the day. At night, they crowd the back door, just waiting for Maestro to be let out so they can swarm inside. Apparently they don't realize the horror that awaits them on the other side of the door. They all end up on their backs, dead within a few hours, and swept into a corner until I get around to vacuuming them up or sweeping them back out the door. Maybe I should sweep all their dead bodies out on the back porch to warn the others of their fate if they should enter.

june bug

I might need to make a chart showing which bugs are mean, and which bugs are nice. The other day I was upset when Spence decided to squash a helpless roly poly. I guess boys just love to hear the crunch of a bug under their shoes. And apparently the flush of the toilet as they flush it away to the ocean. Coleman does have a little bit of sensitivity. He's usually concerned after the flush that the bug might miss his family or get lonely.

Oh, but I will enjoy these bugs while they last. Because the sign that summer is arriving is the buzz of mosquitos. For those bugs we will show no mercy!

Weekly Menu

Thursday - Mexican Chicken, chips and salsa
Friday - going to the end of the season basketball banquet at church
Saturday - going to UH basketball game
Sunday - Stuffed bell peppers, salad, bread
Monday - BBQ chicken, potatoes
Tuesday - Taco ring, Mexican rice (bumped from last week)
Wednesday - Shepherd's pie, rolls

Things I'm Letting Roll Off My Back Today

The comment from one of the teachers at the boys' school:

Lady: When is your baby due? Any minute?
Me (outloud): No, June.
Me (in my head): Horror of horrors! Do I look that big????

The fact that I misread the coupon for deli meat and spent about $4 more for turkey than I usually do.

The label on the new Pringles I bought today says "Screaming Dill Pickle" when it should actually say "Whispering Dill Pickle." (Obviously not approved by pregnant chicks.)

The orange highlighter marks all over the back of my bedroom door. (Spence was drawing so nicely on that piece of paper when I looked in on him last.)

The fact that Mr. Clean Magic Eraser will remove blue highlighter marks but not orange highlighter marks. Go figure.

Sandwich Survey

If you remember, Coleman likes to race Spence to see who can get buckled in the car first. Here's what Coleman said today after he won:

"Spence is a slow poke and I'm a fast poke!"

That's my favorite comment from today, and this is my favorite picture:

The ladies don't like smelly pits!

You'd never guess who I saw today at the gym. The girl I met at the car dealership yesterday! Isn't that neat? We didn't get to talk long, but hopefully I'll see her again. She'll probably be getting her car inspected tomorrow at the same place I'm going to.

My latest endeavor is to find the greatest sandwich out there. I've been chatting with my friends on Face Book about this today. Last week I fell in love with a sandwich at McAlister's. Today I cheated on McAlister's and now have a crush on Panera Bread. I used to like Earl of Sandwich, but apparently the little Pik in my belly doesn't. Jason's Deli is also a favorite (my long time readers know how dear the Ranchero wrap is to my heart). Several people have suggested I try Potbelly's. I feel I must. Any other suggestions? I know some of you don't live in my area and might not have the same restaurants. That's OK! I'd love to hear your favorite sandwich! I wonder if I could get 10 comments today on sandwiches?!?! That is, if anyone cares!

Blessings At the Car Dealership

Isn't it amazing the little things God will do for us if we'll be open to Him? I'm so bad about keeping my head down and not noticing people around me. I've been praying lately for a deeper love for people. And my most favoritest song right now is Brandon Heath's "Give Me Your Eyes." It almost makes me cry every time I hear it, and it is my prayer.

click here to see the video for "Give Me Your Eyes"


Anyway, today the boys and I had to take the car to the Mazda dealership because Brian thought the power steering pump might be going out. Thankfully the power steering fluid just needed to be flushed, so it ended up costing about $500 less than we anticipated. Thank you Lord! That was a blessing, but the main blessing I got was meeting a sister in Christ! When she and her two little girls walked in I thought, "The play area sure is going to be crowded. And I hope Spence can keep his snot to himself!" Then as we were both sitting in the waiting area I felt the Holy Spirit reminding me of how I usually pass up opportunities to talk to people and invest time in them. I had brought my Esther Bible study and was starting that. Somehow we did start up a conversation and I found out that she lives pretty close to me. She was interested in getting into a MOPS group, but they were all filled. Then we started talking about our churches and Women's Bible study. I'm so excited that I might see her when we start our next Bible study in April! Isn't that like God to take something that I was dreading (spending hours waiting on my car to be serviced) and turn it into something that was such a blessing! I pray that each of you will see God's blessings today also - in the big or just the small.

This Is What Upsets Him

We've kept our poor little boys up late all weekend, and I think it finally caught up with Coleman. He enjoyed his favorite show, America's Funniest Videos, and playing with Daddy for a while. Then he crashed, emotionally. He whined and cried about one thing after another all the way up to the bathtub. After bath, he got upset because Spence went into his bedroom. "I don't want him in my room! He's going to stink it up," Coleman wailed. Spence was a little gassy, so maybe I don't blame him there. Hopefully he'll sleep well tonight and we can get to bed on time the next few days.

Last night we had dinner with some friends we hadn't seen in a few months. It was a lot of fun, and the kids all played so well together. Nothing was broken, so I consider that a success. Thanks for the yummy dinner and wonderful evening Jennifer! Hope we didn't keep you up too late...

Unfortunately, I have a new addiction - Facebook. Some of you are probably my "friends", and if you're not and you are on Facebook, find me and be my friend! I'm gonna have to set some limits or I will be spending way too much time on the computer. I enjoy blogging a lot more than Facebook, but it's fun to talk to some people I haven't talked to in a while.

I guess there's not much going on here to write about. Just enjoying life with the boys! That's all I need!