Ten Things Tuesday - Pizza Picnic

1. This picture makes me so happy! Colson shoveling that pizza into his mouth -- ha!
2. For several years now, we have eaten pizza as a family every Friday night. We call it "Pizza Family Movie Night," but we don't always watch a movie. We rotate between ordering pizza and making pizza (or cooking a frozen pizza). Our go-to is Domino's since we all like it, it is affordable, and it is close to our house.
3. Since it was Friday, we stopped by to get a pizza on our way to a park. Daddy was working, which worked out because he doesn't really like Little Caesars pizza.
4. Drive-through hot-and-ready pizza is as convenient as they come! 
5. We are all about pajama pants and mismatched clothes! 
6. Carter's favorite toppings are pepperoni and pineapple.
7. The other boys prefer cheese (for now). 
8. Cooper goes back and forth about whether or not he likes pizza. He's usually excited to go pick it up. "Pizza! Yay! Yummy pizza!" but then 20 minutes will refuse to eat any pizza and says, "I don't yike pizza!" On this particular day, he ate two whole pieces by himself.
9. Calvin likes "the triangle pizza" (not thin crust), but he doesn't like to eat the crust on the end. That part usually goes to Colson or me.
10. As I write this on a chilly day in December, I miss days when we could go to the parks comfortably without coats.

The Straight, Level Path

Oh, how I prefer the straight, level path! This is one of my favorite places to walk in town because of the wide, even, straight, tree-lined walkway.  Different Scriptures come to mind -- asking God to lead us on a level path (Psalm 27:11) and trusting in the Lord, knowing that He will make our paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6). The straight, level path makes it easier to pull the wagon, and there are fewer tripping hazards...

...but my boys preferred a different path the last time we were there. They chose to explore "off-road" and climb the dirt hills on the side. Now, to be sure, there are negative spiritual parallels to getting off-track and finding yourself in the weeds, but as I watched them struggle and conquer, I thought of the value of the hard path.

When Colson was first learning to walk, we praised every effort to stand, first by holding onto something and then free-standing without any help. We counted the seconds that he stood before toppling over. 

After perfecting the standing part, we started helping him take steps. We would remove any obstacle in the path and make it as easy for him as possible. And, lo and behold, we have a walker!

We no longer praise his ability to stand by himself.

We no longer remove every obstacle in his path.

So, as tempted as I was to keep him on the easy, paved path, I let him climb with his brothers... 

...which meant he needed help, 

...and it often resulted in tears

 

...and he got all dirty

...and he got tangled up (hmm...remind you of letting go of the "sin that so easily entangles" from Hebrews 12?)

 ...but...that's how you learn. The sense of victory comes after the uphill battle...

(by the way, this is Cooper, the two-year-old. The one-year-old made it to the top, too, but I didn't take a picture, probably because I needed my hands free to make sure he didn't fall!).

When my boys were learning how to walk, I tried to make it easy for them -- removing the obstacles in the way, holding their hand any time there was a chance they'd fall, making the path level and straight... 

But now, as the parent of walkers, my role has changed. I want to challenge them with 

hills 

and rocks 

and dirt 

and vines. 

When they fall on their faces, I brush off the dirt and help them back on their feet.

When they are tempted to quit, I encourage them and show them the next step.

When they need help, I'm right there. I was never far away.

When they succeed, I celebrate their victory as my own.

And through it all, I get a glimpse of a Father in heaven who is 

much more strong

much more compassionate

much more wise

and I imagine Him saying something like this...

Yes, child, sometimes I make your paths straight and level, but if you are to be as "surefooted as a deer" (Psalm 18:33), you'll have to climb on the rocks sometimes. To "pass through the waters" (Isaiah 43:2), you're going to need to get your sea legs. My desire is not to cripple you but to make you stronger. My goal is not for you to remain in the comfort of what has already been conquered but rather to "let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything" (James 1:4). The way is not easy, for "in this world you will have trouble" (John 16:33).  But, know this: just as you walk alongside your sons through the hills and the valleys, over the obstacles and the level paths, so I walk with you. 

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

    and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;

when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,

    and the flame shall not consume you.

-Isaiah 43:2

I still like the straight, level path on our walks and in my life, but I'm realizing that, deep down, I want...

growth over mediocrity

with Him over easy

coming-out-stronger-after-all-the-challenges-of-this-year over straight and level.

Happy 1 year (and 2 months), Colson!

The 6th of the month is a month-a-versary of sorts for 3 of our 4 boys. So, on August 6th, we celebrate Calvin's half birthday, Carter's three-quarters birthday, and Colson's one-sixth birthday. Cooper is the outlier, although his date is the same as Lucas', so I guess I'm the true outlier -- the only girl, and the only one not on a 6th or 29th. We don't actually celebrate month-a-versaries per se, but we do celebrate half birthdays with a half cake. But, this is not a blog post about half birthdays. This is a post about Colson as a one-year-old, two months removed from turning one.

Lucas' mom has what we affectionately call "the wall." It contains photos of her sons and grandkids at 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, and 24 months. For all of the boys's photos, we've only gone to a professional photographer twice. Sometimes my own little photo shoots are more elaborate than others. And sometimes, I even forget. I realized amid all the craziness of the early Covid days that we totally forgot to take Cooper's 2 year photos. For Colson, I snagged these super cute ones at a park right around his birthday. He was in a happy mood, and I loved his expressions. So, while I didn't intend on this being a photo shoot, I liked his cuteness and the nature-y background.

I tried again at home and wasn't nearly as lucky...

When I went to order the 8x10's of the pictures, Mamaw was wanting a picture of Colson in the one-year-old outfit she had made for him since all the other grandkids were featured in their outfits on "the wall." So, I tried again (two months later) and got some good ones in a matter of minutes. To keep him from walking away (it's so hard to photograph new walkers!), I sat him down on a stump by our creek. Those little feet!

We ended up not doing a big party or anything -- just celebrating as a family of six with his first stab at chocolate cake (he liked it!).

Cooper was a bit upset that the day wasn't all about him. "MY birfday!" he kept saying.

And so...here's our sweet one-year-old Colson, much loved by his brothers. He's learning quickly to toughen up to handle having three older brothers.

He's super smiley! He has 8 teeth now and is often smiling with his mouth wide open.

He started walking soon after his birthday, and now, there's no stopping him. We have to be careful what we set on the edges of tables.

He LOVES to eat and will shove into his mouth whatever he can get his hands on. With the other boys, we mostly fed them baby food until they turned one. Colson, however, has been eating small bites of regular food (he loves lasagna!) for months now. He actually often eats more than Cooper and Calvin.

And he's definitely now joined the ranks of mess-makers. Just as Cooper was finally starting to not rip or pull down or knock over, Colson has taken his place. I find myself constantly putting things up where they can't be reached by little boys.

And here's the joyful, playful buddy we know and love. We're already starting to see his personality shining through, and we're so grateful that God has entrusted him to our family. His hair won't always stick straight up, but he has captured our hearts, and we're thankful for our little Cols-Bols.

A Swing and a Hit/Miss

(written 4-27-20)

A swing

    and a hit    

        Carter made a list of verses to memorize

    and a miss

        Carter threw a slobbering fit when asked to play a song on the piano

A swing

    and a hit

        Calvin is super helpful with his little brothers and me

    and a miss

        Calvin is also super buggy/touchy with his brothers and me

A swing

    and a hit

        Cooper can consistently count to 10 on his own

    and a miss

        Cooper's first morning of potty training -- 5 (pee/poop in undies) to 0 (pee/poop in potty)

A swing

    and a hit

        Colson's eating more and more "regular" foods

    and a miss

        Colson wasn't ready for the edges of Cheez-its

Such is motherhood

A series of hits and misses

    but the homeruns make up for the strikeouts

    and you can't get a hit if you don't swing