A Bit of Levity

The title of my blog is "Joy in the Journey," so, lest people think I'm wallowing in deep, serious thoughts all the time these days, I decided it was time for a little humor.

My boys have been giving me challenges this week...well, the last couple of weeks, I guess. Arden recently learned how to climb out of his crib, and that has caused major problems during nap time and bed time. We are getting better at bedtime, but naps are still difficult. In fact, he has gone from napping consistently every day 2-3 hours (pre-monkey days) to napping MAYBE 2-3 times per week. And if/when he does nap, it is usually because 1) I park myself right outside his door with a book (my only chance to read, it seems!), acting the part of the Nap Police or 2) he is so tired that he can't help but fall asleep. Still, it usually takes at LEAST an hour before he's ready to settle down and obey.

Not to be outdone, Tobin has decided to stir things up a bit himself during nap time, so I am usually traveling back and forth between the boys' room (where Arden's crib is) and my room (where Tobin naps), up and down the stairs as I scramble to answer the phone and then return to my Nap Police post, etc. I admit there have been days I just give up and lock Arden in his room, figuring that with all the toys now in the play area instead of on their built-in shelves, he will either get bored and go to sleep or at least decide that it's not worth it to keep crying!

To his credit, Tobin usually cooperates during nap time. I often make use of a timer, telling him that if he lies quietly for an hour, he can get up and play when the timer rings. However, there are days when we know we'll be out in the evening (such as for our small group Bible study), and we HIGHLY encourage naps on those days for everyone's sanity! Yesterday he did GREAT. Today I caught him playing with one of our candles, hanging upside down off the edge of our bed. Sigh.

Anyway, with the challenges the boys have been presenting, I'm thankful for the reminder of the joy that they are to me when they say something completely unexpected that makes me laugh. I still giggle when I think of these quotes, both said yesterday morning.

Tobin, trying to recall one of his AWANA verses for this week, which is supposed to say, "I am wonderfully made," grasped the concept of the verse but couldn't seem to come up with the long word in the middle.

"I am..." he screwed up his face, thinking. "I am...beautiful!!"

Later that morning, when changing Arden's poopy diaper, I was trying to prompt him to think about the potty (even though I admit my efforts in that direction have been few). Usually we talk about how pee and poop are supposed to go in the potty. However, Arden had a different response to my question. "Where do we want poopy to go?" I asked.

"To go away!" he said confidently.

Boys. Gotta love 'em!