Sesame Street and a Princess

I was looking at my bridal portraits on the computer yesterday afternoon and reminiscing about my wedding when Sam walked up next to me. This is the picture he saw:

"Ms. Allison!" he exclaimed. "You're a PRINCESS!"

"I sure did feel like a princess on my wedding day," I said.

I don't think Sam has ever seen me dressed in anything but workout clothes or jeans and a t-shirt. I'm so thankful that I have such wonderful photographs to remind me of the best day of my life :)

On another note...let me just say that the creator of Sesame Street is a genius. I watched Sesame Street 20 years ago - and Toby is watching it now. The best part about it is that it's educational. It's one of the only shows that captures Toby's full attention and makes Sam verbally respond to questions asked by the characters. Yay for Sesame Street!

Special Purposes

After Sam and Toby awoke from their naps today, Sam decided that he wanted a sugar cookie for snack. As we were sitting at the kitchen table eating, he looked right at me (with green sprinkles and icing on his lips) and said, "Ms. Allison, I have a special purpose!"

Oh Lord, I thought to myself. Here it comes. Another message from You to me via almost-four-year-old Sam. He must have learned at school today that everyone has a special purpose in life.

"What's your special purpose, Sam?" I asked him, curious as to what he would say.

"My special purpose it to have the choice to be good," he said.

"Oh," I said. "Well I'm glad you chose to be good today."

"Yeah," he said. And then I knew what would come next.

"Ms. Allison," he said with an inquisitive look on his face. "What's your special purpose?"

In that moment, I knew the Lord was sending me some encouragement. It's tough to give so much of myself all the time...and I've been feeling a little worn out lately. Sometimes I give so much and don't take time to refuel. Sometimes it's easy to forget what my special purpose is.

"Well, Sam," I said. "I have many special purposes...but one of them is to take care of children like you and Toby."

"Oh, yeah," he said. "I'm glad that's your special purpose!"

"Me too," I said.

What's your special purpose? Where does the passion in your heart come from? What talents has the Lord blessed you with? Where does He want you to use them?

Thanks for rocking my world daily, God. If this is how you use Sam, I can't wait to hear what Toby has to say when he starts talking!

Elevation Playgroup

Playgroups are SO marvelous. Not only do Sam and Toby get to play with other children, but I get to have conversations with someone other than a 3-year-old and see lots of children I absolutely love! I must admit...I feel a bit funny at first going to playgroup with a bunch of moms (because I'm "the nanny")...but all of the Elevation moms are so sweet and welcoming. Thanks for inviting us, ladies!

Aaron went home from work today with a sore throat. I'm usually the one who's sick...so it'll be nice to get to take care of him for once. Hopefully some medicine, sleep, chicken noodle soup, and lots of love will make him better soon.

Pineapple Pumpkin Bread!

Here's that Pineapple Pumpkin Bread recipie I promised a few days ago. I'm actually eating the last piece of the 2 loaves I made last week. It's good stuff.

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 large eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 (16 oz.) can pumpkin
1 (8 oz.) can crushed pineapple (drained)
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 (9x5 inch) loaf pans. In a large bowl, combine flour and next 7 ingredients. Add eggs and oil; beat well. Stir in pumpkin, pineapple, and pecans. Pour batter evenly into prepared pans. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

Enjoy!

(Oh...and I just bought 2 more holiday baking magazines that are totally devoted to cookie recipies! Aaron and I are going to be broke by the end of the holiday season...not because we'll buy gifts for our friends and family...but because we'll feed my baking addiction. Hmm...)

The Mist

So...Aaron and I just got home from our date to the movies. But he had to go back because he just realized he left his favorite hat in the theater. I'm still trying to process the movie we just saw.

Aaron and I went to see The Mist tonight. When I read the preview on Fandango I thought it sounded pretty stupid. However, after we watched the movie trailer online I changed my mind. It's a movie based on a Steven King novel...and Steven Spielberg directed it...so there's no way it could be dumb, right? Well let me tell you - it definitely wasn't dumb - but the ending is so incredibly disturbing that I may not be able to sleep tonight. It wasn't disturbing in a scary way (although I jumped quite a few times throughout the movie)...it was disturbing in a I-can't-believe-someone-could-really-come-up-with-a-story-that-screwed-up-in-the-end kind of way. I was so stunned at the ending that my body went completely numb. My mouth gaped open. The theater was completely silent. I almost felt like I had witnessed something I shouldn't have. You'll have to see it to understand what I mean.

As we walked back to the car, Aaron made a really good point. No matter how messed-up the end of a movie is or how much I wanted it to end happily, it's almost always that ending that makes the movie so great. The Mist was an excellent movie...disturbing ending and all.

Now I'm going to try to get some sleep...

Thanksgiving with the Alexanders

Our trip to Charleston for Thanksgiving was short...but sweet :) We spent most of yesterday with extended family that we haven't seen in a while (well...since the wedding!).

I'd have to say that the most entertaining guest we had at the house yesterday was my 3-year-old cousin, Hayes. He has a "thing" for ladies. And by "thing," I mean doesn't want to play with anyone but a female. I don't get to see him all that much anymore because Aaron and I live in Rock Hill, but he spends quite a bit of time with my mom, Rhonda (Ant Rona), and my brother's girlfriend, Tiffany. My brother was sitting on Tiffany's lap yesterday and Hayes wanted her to go in "da ba-yad" (the backyard) and "pway foobaw" (play football) with him. My brother pretended to be sleeping...so Hayes pulled on his arm and said, "Moo, boy!" (move, boy). We cracked up every 30 seconds at something silly he would say.

At one point, I walked outside where Bryn, Tiffany, and Hayes were throwing the baseball and Bryn kept saying, "What?...What?" Evidently Hayes was trying to tell Bryn something and Bryn couldn't understand him. Hayes repeated himself again and I understood what he was saying the first time. "My baebaw bat at gwanday howse, Brwn!"

"His baseball bat is at Granddaddy's house, Bryn!" I said. "Oh," he replied. "You're good." I should be...with 10 years of experience in translating toddler talk.

Aaron is working today...and I'm off. While I'm grateful for the break, I wish Aaron could be off today too. I had lunch (Thanksgiving leftovers!) with him a little while ago and he mentioned something about going on a date to see a movie tonight. That means I need to get a little nap in before he gets home so I can stay awake in the theater (it's a long story...another blog entirely).

Even though Thanksgiving is over and you're probably sick of Pumkin stuff, my next post will be the recipe for Pineapple Pumpkin Bread. It's Paula Deen's recipe...and it rocks.

Thanksgiving

Liz and Sam had a conversation about Thanksgiving this morning while I was making Pancakes for the boys. Here's how it went:

Liz: Sam, where are we going tonight?
Sam: To see Grandma Dianne and Grandpa Dan!
Liz: And what day is tomorrow?
Sam: THANKSGIVING!
Liz: And what is Thanksgiving all about?
Sam: Eating food and going to people's houses where we don't live and singing the Thanksgiving Song!
Liz: Well, yes...but Thanksgiving is also about taking time out to give thanks for everything and everyone in our lives.
Sam: It's not good for us to take a time out.
Liz: Not that kind of time out...

Aaron and I are going to Charleston this afternoon to spend Thanksgiving with my family. We haven't seen my parents in a few months - so we're looking forward to spending the holiday with them. I LOVE Thanksgiving because I get to cook and bake with my mom, see all of my family that I haven't seen all year, and eat INCREDIBLE food. Perhaps the part of Thanksgiving I'm looking forward to most this year is spending it with my husband :) We've never been able to spend Thanksgiving day or Christmas day together because we've been with our parents...but now we're our own family...and we'll never have to spend another holiday apart.

Here are a few things I'm thankful for this year:

• Aaron
• God's guidance in our lives
• Pastor Steven Furtick and Elevation Church (and our awesome small-group)
• Wonderful parents (and in-laws!)
• Our cat, Hobbes :)
• Great friends
• A heart of generosity
• A wonderful job!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I hope tomorrow finds you safe and happy with your family and friends :)

Results of the Cleaning Spree...

I know you're all wondering: How did the cleaning spree go?

It took ALL DAY...but it went wonderfully! Aaron and I woke up at 10am on Saturday, I made breakfast (cinnamon rolls!), and then the organizing began. We started with doing 8 (that's right, 8) loads of laundry at the clubhouse. Then we organized the living room (where the rest of our wedding gifts were piled), moved to our bedroom, and finally tackled the dreaded guest room. I actually had more stuff in boxes in the apartment than I thought I did. Oops.

From the start of the day, I was on a mission to organize. Aaron was on a mission, however, to help me "relax" by playing with everything we were supposed to be organizing. Among the many interesting things we found while cleaning were about a bazillion unused water balloons from Aaron's crazy college days. He took 2 of the "water bombs," filled them up, and drug me outside to play. That's one of the many reasons why we're so great for each other. He's really good at reminding me that life doesn't always have to be so serious and I don't always have to be on a mission of some sort. I love you, Seet Pea.

Aaron did a great job at throwing away unnecessary boxes (with some encouragement from me) and we were able to free up a lot of space. We also hung some art on the walls - so the apartment feels a little more like home how. We're still pretty cramped in a 2-bedroom apartment...but we'll have to make it work for a little while longer.

Aaron and I had a wonderful time with Bryn and Tiffany this weekend! We went to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner on Saturday night and Elevation on Sunday...but didn't do much else. It was probably good for all of us to take some time to rest since none of us seem to do much of that anymore.

Here's a picture of Bryn and Aaron dueling at the Sharper Image store on Saturday night while we were waiting for our table at the Cheesecake Factory:

Aaron's Response:

Here's the e-mail I got from Aaron after he read this morning's blog:

What kind of blog was that. When do I take time to go through all of that crap? I don't miss it, and I'll throw it away.
Love you.

I LOVE HIM SO MUCH :) His concise little e-mails always make me smile. Apparently he's not a pack rat anymore. We'll see...

Pack Rats and A Cleaning Spree

Oh, my. Aaron and I have a HUGE task ahead of us in the next few days. My brother and his girlfriend are coming to stay with us on Saturday night...and our apartment is not ready for them. We have stuff EVERYWHERE...and most of it is wedding stuff that we have nowhere to put. So you know what that means? We get to throw out all of the junk that Aaron hasn't used since I've known him!

Aaron did a WONDERFUL job of making sure the apartment was spotless before he left to go to Charleston for our wedding in September. He even made the internet wireless so we didn't have to trip over cables in the middle of the floor anymore! When we came home from our honeymoon, the apartment didn't look anything like the bachelor pad it was before I left 2 weeks earlier. But that only lasted for less than 24 hours. Ever since our wedding gifts were piled into the living room the following day, the apartment has never been the same.

I thought I was a pack rat...but Aaron is a million times worse than me. When I first met Aaron more than 4 years ago, he kept old receipts in a box under his bed (or in the drawer of his desk...or in his wallet...or in his car...or anywhere else they would end up). Now, I'm not talking about receipts for big purchases - I'm talking about receipts from restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, and stuff that could never be returned. I broke him of the receipt habit 2 years ago, but we've still got some work to do. I swear that there are storage containers in our guest room that are full of stuff I've never seen Aaron use. The worst space hogs in our apartment, however, are the empty boxes from video game consoles, cameras, electronic equipment, and computer stuff. For some reason, Aaron feels the need to keep them. Sorry, Babe...but those are going in the trash tomorrow :)

Now I must admit, I do have stuff in our apartment that I use infrequently...but it's important stuff. Examples: tupperware containers FULL of craft supplies, photography equipment and negatives from the past 10 years, and...well, that's about it (excluding the wedding gifts we have no place to put yet!).

I'm glad that Aaron lets me go on my cleaning sprees to organize all of his stuff because, believe it or not, he HATES it when I clean without him being there. I think he's afraid that I'll throw away something important. My theory is: if he doesn't even know it's missing, then it wasn't important. To this day, I've never cleaned out the desk drawers, closet, bookcase, or mile-high stack of mail and had him ask me, "Where's ________ (fill in the blank)?" And I've thrown away A LOT of stuff :)

As we were lying in bed last night (after our date to Panera and the $2 movie theater to see Ratatouille!), I revealed to him a little something that I threw away when he moved out of his first apartment. We laughed, and he was like, "You're so proud of yourself right now." I sure was :)

Please pray that our cleaning spree (beginning tomorrow after work) goes smoothly and quickly. And without any arguments :)

Grace

Sam pitched a fit when I picked him up from school today. He has a certain routine he likes to follow when getting into the car (like getting in with NO HELP, buckling the top part of his car seat BY HIMSELF, etc...). In the past few weeks, I've helped him understand that things don't always go your way and it's okay to let someone help you. When we're in the carpool line at school, drop-off and pick-up can go one of two ways depending on what mood Sam is in or how tired he is; it can be a very good experience or a very very bad one. Today's pick-up was bad. He was yelling at the teacher, crying uncontrollably, and trying to keep her from buckling him into his car seat. I had planned on taking the boys to Joseph Beth Bookstore to play with the train set after school, but Sam's behavior nixed that idea. He also knows that when his behavior is unacceptable, he doesn't get to watch TV for the rest of the day when I'm with him. When we got home, Sam went straight to his room and, of course, fell asleep. He awoke an hour-and-a-half later with a better attitude...and a SOAKED mattress. Grrrrr...

After changing his pull-up and clothes, playing by himself for a bit, eating a snack, drawing a picture for me and "Mr. Aaron" to put on our refrigerator, and taking a bath, Sam looked at me and said, "Ms. Allison...my brain told me to tell you sorry for having a fit in the car today. Can I watch TV now?"

Was he apologizing for the fit because he was sincere or because he wanted to watch TV? Hmm...

"Sam," I said. "Thank you for apologizing."

"You're welcome," he said.

"Do you understand that when you say 'I'm sorry' it means that you'll work on not having a fit again?" I asked him.

"Yes," he said. "I'll work on it."

"Do you think you deserve to watch TV after your behavior today?" I asked.

"No," he replied.

Hmm...that was the right answer.

"Well," I said. "You might not deserve to watch TV right now, but Ms. Allison is going to practice grace. Do you know what grace is?"

"That's a girl in my class," he answered.

I explained what grace was and turned on the TV for him. He may not completely understand it, but I'm glad I had the opportunity to introduce the idea to him. God speaks to me every day through these children and I'm so grateful for it. Every time I try to teach Sam a lesson, one gets thrown right back at me. God is awesome.

I'm going on a date with my handsome husband tonight! I think we're going to dinner and a movie :) Honestly, I don't care what we do as long as I get to be with him. I can't wait!

Writer's Block

I've been experiencing writer's block lately. Every time I sit down to blog, I can't think of anything to write about (shocking, I know). I wanted to blog yesterday about how ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE Dominate Sunday was...but I couldn't (and still can't) find the right words to express it. Do you ever feel that when you try to describe the way you feel about something or an experience you had, you completely devalue the entire thing? That's how I feel about the service under the tent this past Sunday. So I'll stop trying to tell you about it and just say that it was beyond words. Check out the sermon online. Oh...and you MUST check out the video on Holly Furtick's blog from yesterday. Click on the link that says "Elijah." It'll make you smile :)

Today the boys and I went to the Mint Museum of Craft and Design in the city. On the second Tuesday of every month there are craft activities for preschoolers to participate in. Today's theme was "Yarnapalooza." Sam made a door hanger with yarn all over it. Sounds cool, doesn't it? After the Mint Museum, we went to the park with lots of Elevation moms and kids. Thanks, Tonia, for letting me know about the play group! Sam had a BLAST with Cooper :)

I can't wait until this weekend! Bryn and Tiffany are coming to town...and we're hoping that we can give them a nice vacation from school and pamper them before exams begin! My brother deserves the world...and I can't wait to see him :)

I guess that's all for now. Not very interesting, I know. Maybe tomorrow Sam and I will have a noteworthy conversation on the way to school. Maybe Toby will get into more trouble courtesy of his new-found ability to walk. I'll let you know.

Change Your Attitude...

Sam and I had a tough time together this week. I've been teaching him that for inappropriate behavior (you know... tantrums, talking back to me, not listening, bad attitudes) there are consequences. When he starts to get into that mood where he's about to throw a fit, I tell him to change his attitude or ________ (insert consequence). On Wednesday he threw a fit because he didn't want to turn the TV off. So...I told him he needed to spend some time alone in his room and he woudn't be able to watch TV for the rest of the day while I was there. He went to his room, fell asleep, and awoke in a much better mood. A little later he said, "Ms. Allison. I changed my attitude. So that means I get to watch TV now." I said, "No, Sam. Even though you changed your behavior, you still have to deal with the consequences of your actions."

As soon as I explained that little tidbit to Sam, my own actions and their consequences popped into mind. Thanks, God. Way to keep me humble and remind me to heed my own warnings. That's not really what I was going for, but thanks for reminding me. See? God uses even the smallest and most simple little people to teach us (or remind us of) stuff. God rocks.

Liz was helping Sam put on his pull-up when she got home from work today (the boys had just gotten out of the bath) and Sam began to throw a fit. Liz spoke to him in a firm tone. He looked at her and said, "Mommy, I think you need to change your attitude."

I tried not to laugh.

Fire and Whining

If you haven't checked out "Sam's Thanksgiving Song" from yesterday's blog, you MUST see it! I was having some problems getting it to play yesterday and last night...but it seems to be up and running as of this morning. Let me know what you think!

You'll never believe what I saw on my way to work this morning. I was sitting at a red light on Celanese Road in Rock Hill (sipping my Spiced Chai Tea) when all of a sudden I heard what sounded like an explosion. It wasn't a huge explosion, but I definitely felt my car move. Then I smelled something burning. As I looked around trying to figure out what was repeatedly exploding, I noticed that the truck in front of me was spewing flames from its underside. It was one of those white pickup trucks that spelled "Reading" on the tailgate and it had shovels and rakes and stuff in the back. I kinda started freaking out...and I don't think anyone else could see the flames. It looked like he had a blow torch under the truck. The flames would burst out from underneath, roar for 5 to 10 seconds or so, and then go away. We sat at the stoplight for about 2 minutes and the flames kept coming and going...and they lasted longer and longer each time. I was convinced that the truck was going to burst into flames and I would be trapped in my car to die at the mercy of one of my greatest fears: fire. By the time the light turned green, there was black smoke everywhere. And the guy in the truck was just as calm as a cucumber. I wanted to drive up next to him and let him know that his truck might explode at any moment, but I couldn't catch up to him. I hope he's okay.

On another note, Toby is becoming such a big boy! He has changed tremendously in the past 2 months and it's fun to watch him grow. It's not fun, however, to listen to him whine. I don't know if it's because he may be teething, just wants attention 24/7, or if it's a stage he's going through. It's probably all 3. Hopefully the whining will cease soon...because he's liable to drive me nuts if it doesn't.

Our friends Ben and Jessica are getting married 4 months from today! I took their engagement pictures (with the help of the wonderful Sean Lyon) last week. Check it out:

Check out the rest of their engagement photos at Lyonpictures.com (the password is "Hamilton"). Enjoy!

Sam's Thanksgiving Song

This is one of the cutest things I've ever heard! Sam came home singing it on Friday...and I had to share it. I hope it puts a smile on your face :)

Hey Aaron - I made this entire video by myself! I shot it, uploaded it to the computer, edited it, and uploaded it to the website. Aren't you just SO PROUD of me? :) I love you, my Computer Nerd!

His Righteousness Endures Forever...

I got an e-mail from my brother yesterday...and he's coming to stay with Aaron and me next weekend! For those of you who don't know, my brother attends college at The Citadel in Charleston, SC. On top of the adjustments that normal college freshmen have to make, my brother has to deal with military training, constant physical training, and being yelled at 24/7. It's an extremely difficult school...but he's doing GREAT. We're SO PROUD of him!

(Isn't he so handsome?!)

Anyway, Aaron and I haven't gotten to spend any quality time with Bryn and his girlfriend, Tiffany, since the summer...so we're so stoked that they are coming to be our house guests. I guess that means we have to clean all of the wedding junk off of the 2 twin guest beds so they'll have a place to sleep. Hmmm...

Bryn is really excited about coming back to Elevation to worship and listen to Pastor preach. I mailed him an Elevation Live CD to listen to at school and he says he's been listening to it a lot. I've seen Bryn's faith grow tremendously since he's been at the Citadel and he's been such an encouragement to me. I love you, Buddy!

I can't wait until Sunday! November 11th is DOMINATE Sunday...and it's gonna be awesome. Instead of the normal 5 services on Sunday morning, we're only having one service - and all 2500 Elevators will be under a heated tent on the Providence High School football field. The leaders of Elevation have already committed to give 3.2 million dollars to the Dominate Campaign (way to step up leaders!) - and we can't wait to see what the rest of the congregation will commit to give! God is so much bigger than the fund-raising consultants who told us it would be a miracle to raise 3 million dollars in 3 years. God is so much bigger than Satan who will surely try to attack us in this season of growth and generosity. God is SO much bigger.

"And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed; as it is written, 'HE SCATTERED ABROAD, HE GAVE TO THE POOR, HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS ENDURES FOREVER.' Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God." -- 2 Corinthians 9:8-11

Conversations with a 3-year-old

Sam and I have some very interesting conversations in the car. Here's the conversation he and I had on the way to school this past Friday:

Sam: "Miss Allison, how come Mommy and Daddy go to work but you don't?"
Me: "I do go to work, Sam. You and Toby are my work."
Sam: "No...I mean...Why don't you go to REAL work?"
Me: "Taking care of you and Toby is REAL work. I make sure you're always safe and take you to fun places and play with you and take good care of you.
Sam: "Yeah."

I love how children speak their minds about what many adults think but never say. Lots of people think I don't have a REAL job. Guess what. I do. I get a little bothered when people think my job isn't important or "real" because I don't think they realize how truly difficult it is. I challenge you to spend a few days in the shoes of a nanny or "stay-at-home-parent." Raising children has to be one of the most important and rewarding careers EVER. I'm not saying you have to stay at home to raise your children to the best of your ability (both of my parents had a career and I turned out okay!), but I think it's very important for children to have excellent guidance and dependable role models to look up to. Thanks to all of the moms and dads (and nannies!) who are raising the next generation to be responsible, honest, caring, God-loving individuals. You rock.

Here's the conversation Sam and I had on the way to school this morning:

Sam: "Miss Allison, did you know that marry is a BIG BIG party?"
Me: "What?"
Sam: "Being marry is a BIG BIG party!"
Me: "Do you mean that being married is a big party?"
Sam: "Yeah!"
Me: "Who told you that?"
Sam: "Mrs. Paine (one of his teachers at school)."
Me: "Being married is a big party. Most of the time."
Sam: "Yeah."

I love being married! Dealing with finances and grown-up stuff isn't always so fun, but as long as I have Aaron to journey through life with it'll be a BIG BIG party, for sure. I love you, Baby! Thanks for always encouraging me and challenging me to be a better person day after day. You're the BEST leader, and I nub u lots.

Mobile Toby

This morning when I was getting the boys' picnic lunch ready (we're going to picnic storytime at ImaginOn today!) I heard Sam talking in the TV room. I couldn't quite hear him, but it sounded like he was saying the same thing over and over. I stopped what I was doing and listened. Sam was saying, "No, Toby! Don't play in the toilet! No, Toby! Don't play in the toilet!"

"Great," I said to myself. I had just gotten them dressed and I was pretty sure that Toby was probably covered in toilet water. I turned the corner to see Sam tugging on Toby's left arm while his right arm splashed the water in the toilet bowl.

I'm not sure that I like the new mobile stage Toby has entered in the past few days. Right now I have him restrained on the bouncy horse he got from his Grandma Barb and Grandpa Gary (thanks!) and he's loving it. However, I'm sure he will get bored in 2 minutes and want out so he can get into something else.