Enjoying the Journey

I love, love, love this little boy of mine. The other day he was swinging on the tire swing in the yard with one arm to hold on with, like a monkey. At the highest point of the swing, he fell flat on his face. I was sure that he had broken his nose and was going to look up without any teeth. Thankfully, he was bloodless and only bruised. Whew!

Not more then 10 minutes later he and his brother we playing with a rope and the tire swing (again). His brother pulled the rope through the swing very hard and rope burned Zach's hands. The above pic is my little Z-man, bruised and band aided up. Boy did he get some serious cuddles that night.

Here I Am
written by Zach for school work

My feet are for walking and jumping.

My nose is for smelling whoopie pies and cake. Yummy!!!

My ears are for hearing the ocean and cars.

My elbows can punch!

My brain is for thinking about raining Legos!

My fingers are for feeling something sticky and snapping and building! WOW!!

My tongue is for tasting oranges, pineapples, and cookies!

My eyes are for seeing stars and Lego things I make. Big eyeballs!

I like my body!


I love my little boy! Bruises, band aids, silly stories, and all!

Posted in: Z Man, Z-man on Saturday, September 25, 2010 at at 8:09 AM 5 comments    

Z-man flew through the 2's and 3's with flying colors. Infact, he was so laid back during his 2's that I was dumbfounded. I mean, c'mon, his older brother had me turned into a pretzel by 13 months until he was about 4 year old. (I'm thoroughly convinced that EJ may one day rule a small country of his own!). When the three's hit, I thought I might see a change or two. But he sailed through them, helping me to fall into this misunderstanding that somehow my sweet little Z-man might be the first perfect child out there.

Okay, really I didn't think he was perfect. BUT ... he was, well, just really cute and so easy.

Apparently, I was in need of a bit of wake up call. Because sweet Z-man is giving me a run for my money these days! Go ahead laugh at me. In truth, I'm chuckling at myself.

See him in the corner up there... let's see I think I stuck him there after the 50th time I had told him to stop jumping off my bed. That sounds harmless right... but I had the spent the entire day, fighting with him over breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and drinks, what he was going to wear, what he wanted to read, that fact that he wants a new transformer all. the. time. and that he doesn't like doing chores and the list can go on and on and on.

So, I stuck him in the corner and told him to put his nose there. I turned in frustration back to the laundry I was trying to sort .... on. my. bed.

Two minutes later, I turned to see how Mr. Monkey Jumping on My Bed with Laundry All Over It was making it in the corner there, only to find him working very hard at putting his nose directly smack in the corner! I had to control myself from laughing out loud.

Instead, I told him to stay put and ran and grabbed the camera. Because it will be imperative to show him and his wife someday, that I most certainly DID discipline him!

Still ... even in the midst of temper tantrums, tears, and frustrations... he's my Z-man. And I adore him!!!

Posted in: Z Man, Z-man on Monday, November 17, 2008 at at 9:52 PM 4 comments    

My little Z man turns 4 today! Gulp - lump in the throat. Yeah, he's no longer a toddler, but very much a preschooler. And boy oh boy, are my mommy hormones, need another baby, my youngest is 4 already, on high alert these days.

But anyways....

Little Z LOVES being a superhero, whether its spiderman, batman, superman, a knight, or bibleman. It is no joke, that Z dresses up daily. And between he and his older brother, there is always a concoction of "bad guys," that must be dealt with in one way or the other.

I love this little boy.

Perhaps, I need to get a little more sterner, but Z still sucks his thumb and has a dozen or so stuffed animal friends. He rotates his favor between each of them. Currently, he is back to Pup Pup, a ragged little puppy that we bought him for Christmas when he was 16 months old. I've taken to believing that Z will not enter college sucking his thumb, so who cares if at the ripe old age of 4 he still prefers that first digit... oh well.

Sweet Z, has taught me so much over the last 4 years. Patience, mercy, and joy just to name the few. Because of his laid back temper, I've learned to relax and enjoy how he learns, grows, plays, and adapts to life. Relaxing as a mother has proved beneficial for his big brother too. I imagine that when we have more siblings, they will all thank the Lord for Z and what God has taught me through Him.

And so another year is about to begin with Z. I can't wait to see him change and grow, learn new things and be the boy that God has created him to be. But for the moment, I just want to hold onto him as the little boy he is... sweet, relaxed, thumb sucking, stuffed animal loving, Z man.

Posted in: Z Man, Z-man on Thursday, August 28, 2008 at at 1:38 PM 9 comments    

Overheard conversation between father and son this morning....

Z-man - Daddy, I just saw a dragonfly.

Daddy - Cool. What did it look like?

Z-man - well...it had wings. One here. One here. One here. One here. (pointing too the different areas of the body)

Seizing a great teaching opportunity .....
Daddy - So, Z-man how many wings total?

Z-man - Daddy, turtles don't have wings!

Me ..... giggle.

Posted in: Smiles, Too Darn Funny, Z Man, Z-man on Saturday, August 23, 2008 at at 2:57 PM 0 comments    

Sometimes, we are responsible for teaching our kids lessons in life, that well, you just don't want to share with them. As they get older, it gets harder, that I'm sure of.

Z man is 3, almost 4. And his spirit is one of peace and sweetness. My heart is tangled up in that little boy, as he goes through each day.

This week, he is attending VBS at our church. They have a huge table full of fun gifts. At the end of the day, names are pulled out of a hat and the prizes are awarded if you can say the scripture verse.

At the beginning of the week, Z man took my hand and brought me over to the prize table. There stood an "armor toy" in his words. It was a knights outfit. Now, my little boy loves to dress up. Just this morning he approached the breakfast table with a red cape and a sword tucked neatly down the back of his shirt. So, it was inevitable, that Z man would love the "armor toy."

Yesterday, I stood in the back of the sanctuary, ready to pick my boys up. It was the end of the day, where all the prizes were being awarded. The children's pastor picked up the "armor toy" and pulled out a name.... Z-man....... H (our last name begins with an S).

But poor Z, didn't hear the last name, he only heard his name. And so he (and his brother who wanted to help him), stood up quickly to go claim his valued prize. Only to find out that he wasn't the one who actually won it.

There I was in the back of the sanctuary, as my little boys chin began to tremble and huge alligator tears spilled over his cheeks. My heart broke and I wanted to cry with him.

The children's pastor apologized, as Z cried on my shoulder. And even though in my heart I could have given this little boy the world on a lollipop stick, I realized that sometimes, we just don't win the prize we so desperately want. Having to learn that is hard, even at 3.

Posted in: Z Man, Z-man on Friday, August 08, 2008 at at 8:00 AM 3 comments    

Posted in: EJ, Smiles, Z Man, Z-man on Thursday, August 07, 2008 at at 10:08 AM 3 comments    

When I look back at my childhood, the one thing that I remember the most was all the books I read. I inhaled books, sometimes reading 2 a day. In fact, I distinctly remember my mom sending my brother and I out to play, I would stuff a book down the back of my pants and slip out the door. Within minutes I had found a shaded tree and was lost in my newest novel.


It wasn't more then a day or two after I had brought EJ home from the hospital, that I remember holding him in one arm and in the other, reading out loud, a book to him. At that time it wasn't a children's book, in fact I have no idea what book it was. But I had every intent on having him learn what the melodic sound of listening to someone else read, was like.

When Z man entered the picture, I was a little worried. I didn't have the opportunities that I had with EJ, to read to him from the very start. But soon, those worries washed away as I would hold, again, now Z man in one arm, a book in another, and EJ curled up next to me. Yea, Z man was getting it too.

The biggest collection of anything we own in this house, are books. Bright colorful ones, long and in depth ones, serious or silly, we have quite our own little collection.

This morning, EJ and Z man snuggled up with Diesel the cat, I was off working on something else. I found them like this, EJ reading to Z. Both engrossed on what was to happen next. I stood with a satisfied grin on my face. They got it too!

Posted in: EJ, Family, homeschool, Z-man on Wednesday, April 16, 2008 at at 1:24 PM 6 comments    

Z man - "hey mommy, my belly just purred."

Me - "it purred?"

Z man - "yeah, purred."

Me - (chuckling) "you mean it rumbled, like this, err err (long and drawn out)"

Z man - "yeah, my belly purred. Hey EJ, my belly just purred. Next time it does, you can listen to it!"

Posted in: Z Man, Z-man on Tuesday, April 15, 2008 at at 4:34 PM 3 comments    

Posted in: Z Man, Z-man on Monday, April 14, 2008 at at 3:12 PM 2 comments    

The one thing that I am learning about the Lord, is that we have to stop putting Him in a box! He is so much bigger then we can fathom or realize!

I was in the mood to do some creative worship with the kids. So, I turned on worship music and got out the paints. I explained to the children that the person who was playing on the cd, was worshipping the Lord through their music.

Now before you call social services on me for this photo, let me continue on explaining. I was teaching the boys to listen to the worship music and to paint from that experience. Listening requires being quiet. And since my children are 3 and 5, being quiet is not natural for them. They each gently wore a small piece of masking tape on their mouths to help remind them of their silence.

I gave them cups of tempera paint with a dime size spot of dish detergent mixed in. And then let them paint on the glass door in our livingroom.

Plastic covered the floor for sweet little feet and any extra drips of paint.

My youngest is either a super hero or knight right now. So it must be impossible to paint without your other hand holding on to your sword, right?

It may not be Van Gough, but as the boys were painting, I began to photograph the beautiful colors.

And then, I had to try it myself....

Posted in: Create, EJ, Freedom, Z-man on Monday, March 31, 2008 at at 8:23 PM 5 comments    

Posted in: Z-man on Thursday, February 07, 2008 at at 8:10 AM 8 comments