I've Been Tagged

My good friend at Rugrats and Dirty Rugs wants to be bored to death, so she has tagged me to do this meme. I've taken a while to get to it due to vacation and other obligations, but now I'll take my turn. Our good friend at Striving To Be Better has shamed me by responding to the meme tag promptly. Here goes...

1. Who was your best friend?
Lyra Potter. She was our pastor's daughter, and always got mad at me when I introduced her as such. I was confused by her resistance to be known as the pastor's kid, but now that I'm a pastor's wife, I understand. People really do treat you differently once they know you are related to clergy.

2. Did you play any sports?
Softball. Being home schooled, I only had access to the city run sports. I loved it, though.

3. What kind of car did you drive?
I drove my parents' New Yorker until my dad rebuilt the engine of a 1974 Volvo for me. I still miss that car and wonder where it is.

4. It's Friday night. Where were you?
I was usually with my best friend or with the small group of friends in our youth group. I really feel like God blessed me with a good group of friends during the high school years.

5. Were you a party animal?
It depends on what you mean. I loved socializing, but I would never engage in anything illegal.

6. Were you considered a flirt?
I don't think so.

7. Were you in the band, orchestra, or choir?
Not applicable.

8. Were you a nerd?
Most definitely, but since there was no one to torment me about it, it never bothered me.

9. Were you ever suspended or expelled?
Not applicable. My parents didn't have the luxury of wiping their hands of me so easily.

10. Can you sing the fight song?
I don't know what that means.

11. Who was your favorite teacher?
Besides my mother, obviously, Shannon Honaker was a woman in the church who always encouraged me to think about literature, politics, and religion in more mature ways. I certainly think of her and her husband as real influences on my education.

12. What was your school mascot? not applicable.

13. Did you go to the prom?
It always seemed much ado about nothing. I had no desire to go which was convenient because I also had no chance of going.

14. If you could go back, would you?
I remember those years with great fondness, but adulthood is still much more fun.

15. What do you remember most about graduation?
I remember being greatly honored by all the people who came out for the ceremony and showed affection and support for me.

16. Where were you on Senior Skip Day? not applicable

17. Did you have a job your Senior year?
I worked for my grandparents at their drycleaners. I loved it. Grandma would set challenges for me to press shirts faster and faster. I remember it being fun working with my grandparents. They would take me to dinner sometimes after work, and if I was there during lunch, they'd spring for the Taco Johns.

18. Where did you go most often for lunch?
I was at home, of course.

19. Have you gained weight since then?
Oh yes.

20. What did you do after graduation?
I took courses at the local junior college for a semester and then went to study in North Dakota under an accomplished author. I then took a six month internship with Home School Legal Defense Association and was hired on after my internship was over. This amazing adventure was brought to an end by the real adventure of my life, Matt.

21. What year did you graduate? 1993

22. Who was your Senior prom date? not applicable

23. Are you going/did you go to your 10 year reunion?
not applicable

I was always puzzled by people declaring that high school is supposed to be the best time of your life. While I didn't have traumatic experiences like most of my school educated friends, the rest of life was so much more fun.

Sibling Relationships

I'm understanding my childhood better, at least my sibling relationships, as I watch Katie and Titus interact.

Katie cries and fusses, and Matt and I check to see what the hub bub is all about. Titus has stumbled on something that upsets his sister. It may be something as simple as a silly face, or it may be a loud, annoyingly repeated noise. Titus is delighted with his ability to affect his sister so powerfully, and he beams from ear to ear as his sister cries for him to stop.

My mother's advice to me so long ago rings in my ears, "Andrea, if you stop reacting, your brothers will stop."

What seemed like such an unjust suggestion so long ago makes perfect sense now. Certainly Titus would probably have never repeated his antic if Katie had never given him such a satisfying reaction. I can now see both sides. Katie is feeling like she is being tormented mercilessly, while Titus has been given a temptation too great to resist. I think I can finally forgive my brothers.

Two Sad Things

Sad Thing #1

The other day I was putting Titus and myself down for our afternoon nap. We read stories together first, and I was in the middle of The Poky Little Puppy when Matt popped his head in the room and asked if Kate could come in.
"Of course!"
Katie was whimpering.
"What's wrong, Katie?" I asked.
"I want our house to be sparkly clean."
"Oh Katie, mommy is having a hard time right now because the baby makes me so sick."
"I know, but I want our house to be sparkly clean."
"I'm trying, Kate. It will get better."
"I don't want people to think we don't want a clean house," Kate agonized.
Well neither did I, but I didn't see her doing much to avoid that. I mean, had she seen her own room?
"I think," Katie said, " you should have someone else clean our house because you never can."
I was having trouble with Katie's view of reality, but now was not the time to quibble. I was doing the dishes most of the time.
"Well, I think you should tell Daddy that."

I'm afraid I wasn't able to set her heart at ease at that time, but she settled for snuggling in while we finished our story. As you can imagine, when a social obligation forced me to get the house "sparkly clean" finally, I had a very appreciative family.

Sad Thing #2

All of you who are horrified by our no pets policy (you and I know who you are, Lance,) will find this gratifying, supporting your judgment. I'm aware of that, and I'm not too proud to admit when I'm wrong.

I went outside to check on the kids playing. Katie is sitting in the sand hill with a twig from a tree. She is pulling leaves off as she says:
I can have a pet.
I can't have a pet.
I can have a pet.
I can't have a pet.

To add pathos to the whole thing, Katie's voice fell with sadness every time she said "I can't have a pet."

I came and told Matt, and we discussed pet possibilities. We LOVE our pet free lifestyle. Oh the agony. Will we deny ourselves and get Katie a pet? It's looking more and more likely, I'm afraid.

In the mean time, she makes sad little attempts to satisfy her pet desire. She's had jars of pet lady bugs, and now she is nurturing a pet ant in a jar. Her care consists of stuffing the jar full of dirt and leaves until nothing more will fit inside and then leaving the jar out in the hot sun all day. I think she's named the ant Esmeralda (a name she also has posed as a possibility for the new baby if she's a girl.)

God's Sovereignty

Last night we were driving home from dinner with friends and Katie starts singing in a happy, jaunty tune, "We won't die until it's God's time. We won't die until it's God's time."

First I thought, "How weird." Then I thought, "How appropriate. This should be our response to the idea that our days are in the hands of God. This knowledge ought to lighten our hearts." Out of the mouth of babes...

Morning Sickness

I've been sleeping more than my fare share and nauseous to the point of debilitation. I'm behind on everything, so blogging seems like something that can wait. I will get back to it. I feel like I haven't been seeing much of my kids lately because of all the sleeping, so I'm not stock-piling stories. Mostly we've been reading and playing in bed together. Nothing too cute, just sickly sweet. So if it seems I've dropped off the face of the earth, I have.

But I am feeling much better now and having more good days than bad. I'm looking forward to rejoining the living.

Leaving Town

Matt is taking us with him to Synod this year in Kansas City, MO. We'll be gone the rest of the week, so no blogging (not that I need such a good excuse to not blog. ) We'll be staying at this cool place, in the one room cabin, found by our friends.

By Request: Pictures!

Aunt Barbara has requested more pictures of the kids, so here are a couple from today.





Titus will stay outside for ever if I let him water the plants with a small stream from the hose.



Katie is pulling weeds in her garden. Why is it that the kids' plants, planted with no regard to the directions on the back of the seed packet, do so much better than mine?

Here are a few pics from Easter I meant to blog about, but I've missed that window. I think they're too precious to keep for myself, though.