Happy Birthday, Truman!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our 2-year-old!

He’s funny, and lots of fun!

And he sure knows how to ham it up!

He’s got a big personality, and there are so many different sides to him.

{Yes, he is kissing a real snake in that picture! I don’t know why, but the kid loves snakes. He certainly didn’t get that from me!}

On the day of Truman’s birthday, we went to the zoo! The kids had a great time! See—this picture proves how fun it was:

They got to feed the giraffes, because we got there just in time for the “10:30 Snack Time for Giraffes”. Perfect activity for Truman’s birthday, since he thinks giraffes are the best! They fed the giraffes lettuce leaves. And since the lettuce leaves cost $1 each, I’m certain that they’re not the normal everyday lettuce leaves. These must be packed with powerful vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants!!

Here, Truman is watching the giraffe, while waiting in line for his turn to feed it.

I like how this next picture catches 3 important things: the giraffe’s long tongue, Truman’s hand reaching out to feed the giraffe, and the lettuce leaf as it is falling from Truman’s hand (because that long tongue scared him!). After this little fright, Truman wasn’t interested in feeding the giraffe anymore. He backed away, shaking his head, and saying “No… No… Don’t want to…”

In the picture below, Truman is backed away and telling the giraffe “Bye-bye, Fraffe! Bye-bye, Fraffe!” {I should have taken this picture vertically, so Brad wouldn’t have to be headless.}

And what’s a birthday without cake? Since Truman likes snakes (as previously mentioned), I made him a snake cake. Uncle Dubbs (my brother, GW) and my Mom came to celebrate with us.

Evelyn and Uncle Dubbs designed the snake’s markings, and he formed that big creepy rat with leftover cake pieces!

This next picture is terrible quality. But the look on Truman’s face is priceless, so I had to include the picture anyway!

Blowing out the candles!

My Mom and Samuel:

Elasta-Girl… It’s for fun!

We had such a fun birthday week! Truman is a blessing to all of us. Our family wouldn’t be complete without him! I love his laugh, his hugs and kisses, his ever-expanding vocabulary, his funny run, the way he always puts his Crocs on the wrong feet, his early creativity and imaginative play, the way he seeks reconciliation immediately after realizing he’s done something wrong, his gentleness with Samuel, his strong wrestling skills with John, his happy smile, his love for books (especially the Bible), and the way he says all of our names. He’s such a special gift from the Lord!!!

Come, Lord Jesus, Come!

I’ve never felt the desire for Christ’s return this strongly. Come, Lord Jesus, Come! We are all lost and hurting; we need You to save us!

We have been grieving this week. My kids have lost a playmate. My friends, Kelly and Phil, have lost their precious 2yr-old daughter, Ella. Jack has lost his little sister. And so tragically, so suddenly. She drowned in a little bit of water that was draining from an ice chest in their yard. It doesn’t even seem possible! How can it be?? My heart is hurting for them so much. I’m full of sorrow and tears. Sweet Ella.

I went to their house yesterday. Just to let them know I loved them. Seeing her little shoes, her toothbrush, her hair bows and stuffed animals, was nearly overwhelming. She should be there. But she’s not.

I keep picturing the last time I saw her… a few weeks ago they came over to our house to play. I picture her tiny blonde ponytail on top of her head, bobbing up and down as she ran through the grass with a smile on her face. And then, in my mind, the surroundings change. Ella is still there, but with a bigger smile. Running through a field of beautiful and soft grass. And she’s happier than she’s ever been, because she’s running straight into the arms of her Savior. The One who loves her. The One who said, “Let the little children come to me.” He made her. He loves her. He holds her and delights in her. And she delights in Him. Yes, she’s happier than she’s ever been. She’s complete now.

But all of us who are still here on this earth are mourning. Ella’s family. Her friends. Even people who haven’t met her.

So I say again: Come, Lord Jesus, Come! Make things right. Restore Your creation to You. Wash away every tear. Replace our mourning and sorrow with gladness and fullness of joy in Your presence.

My Lineage

Back when my mom was a little girl, driving the tractor to mow the fields, BIG OL’ snakes would rear their scary heads and chase her tractor. That, along with the chore of knocking snakes out of trees and chicken nests, put the fear of snakes in her.

She appropriately passed that fear on to me. I learned at an early age that all snakes can kill you – even if they’re not poisonous.

This afternoon, as I was walking out to the backyard shed, I felt something against my foot, and heard a noise in the leaves on the ground. Sure enough, it was a snake. Over a foot long! Black and green, and more than an inch thick, it scared me!!! It was sticking it’s black forked tongue out at me. Yikes! I’m sure it was about to kill me! So I skidaddled away from there right away!

When I was talking to Evelyn on the phone tonight (Evelyn, John and Truman are staying with my parents for some fun grandparent time right now), this is the advice she gave me:

“Mommy, get a piece of paper and a pen. I’ll tell you what to write.”

Me: “Okay, I’ve got it.”

Evie: “Write this on your paper: ‘Get a shovel whenever you see a snake. Then smash it’s head off. That’s what you have to do.’ Now you need to put that paper in your pocket every day. And whenever you see a snake, pull it out and read it so you’ll know what to do.”

Me: “Thank you, Evelyn. That’s great advice.”

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P.S.-- For dinner tonight, Evelyn told me that they ate hush dogs, fish, fruit and broccoli. Isn't that cute? I think I'll call hush puppies "hush dogs" from now on!

Ladybug Cake

Thanks to my sweet friend Haylee, and her recently-4-year-old-daughter, Livvy, I got to make a fun cake this weekend! Liv decided back at Christmastime that she wanted a ladybug cake for her birthday. I’m so glad I got to make it!

Of course, things always take me longer than I think they will. And then the nervous adrenaline starts pumping through me like whitewater rapids.  And then my hands get all shaky, just when I really need them to be steady. And that makes me more nervous. And more shaky. Nervous. Shaky. Nervous. Shaky. Nervous!! Shaky!!

STOP!!!!!! GET IT TOGETHER, JENNY!!!!

And now I am entering my focus-zone. Not to be interrupted. Nothing can distract me now.

Unless there’s a hungry, crying baby that needs to be nursed.

So I take some time out to tend to him, and then go back to the kitchen to finish this: