And then there was an epic win!

My husband has redeemed himself and his erased memory card! Apparently, he snapped a few pictures with a friend's camera, including a fantastic Halloween costume shot!

It's definitely possible that he's roaring in this one. Or eating apple. Not sure. We'll go with roaring, since he did a lot of that on Monday. But he did a lot of apple eating, too.

For a not-quite-2-year-old, "bobbing for apples" is more like "reaching for apples," but he was still all about it. He was even motivated enough to stand in line and wait his turn for a while.

So there you have it! Our little guy's first real Halloween was a smashing success. A roaring good time. A . . . ok, I'll stop now. You're welcome.

We epic fail at Halloween pictures.

I apologize for not following through on my promise of a "coherent thoughts on Halloween and pics of my adorable son in costume" post. It's a long story, involving a borrowed SLR and an accidentally erased memory card. Hopefully, we haven't lost all pics of this year's Halloween forever; although, as my instructional technologist husband hasn't managed to recover them in 3 days of trying, it's not looking good.

So I have decided to post the "coherent thoughts on Halloween" portion anyway, which I wrote on Tuesday, and follow it with "pics of my adorable son in (part of his) costume". And if we ever manage to get our pics back, you will be the first ones I share them with. Promise.

--Post Title: "Our Halloween"--

First off, a little error correction. The article cited yesterday is by Justin Holcomb, not Mark Driscoll. Mark simply posted it on his Facebook status.

Anyway, in his article, Justin says:

 "It seems that Christians can easily receive (with wisdom) some cultural aspects of the holiday, and there is some potential for the pagan cultural practices to be redeemed—but care must be taken. There is a big difference between kids dressing up in cute costumes for candy and Mardi-Gras-like Halloween parties, offensive costumes, and uninhibited excess . . . for those Christians whose conscience permits we should view it as an opportunity to engage wisely with our culture."

And since our household is generally not tempted towards "uninhibited excess," and invitations to "Mardi-Gras-like parties" are few and far between, we feel it fairly safe, as a family, to participate in some aspects of Halloween. We are attempting to "redeem" the holiday, to use Justin's word.

For example, Lyndon and I went to three events last week that were basically an excuse for kids to wear costumes, play games and see their friends. One was hosted by our church and was a fantastic time for our church family to make some memories together. One was a MOMS Club annual event, at which I made new mom friends and Lyndon tackled the playground with some of his. And one was our local, downtown Trick or Treat night, a great chance to support local businesses and do something unusual as a family.

Oh, and then we went Trick or Treating with friends last night, and Lyndon still giggles with excitement when we talk about it. Holiday effectively redeemed. :-)

Yes, this is technically his entire costume (except shoes), but I think the misery on his face counts against it. This was the first time I tried putting him in it, and he hated it. Hated it so much, in fact, that I gave up and took most of it off . . .

 

See? Much happier. But much less cute. In theory, he was Alex the Lion from "Madagascar". At this particular party, he just carried his stuffed lion around and wore his t-shirt. I did manage to make the whole costume more comfortable for him by cutting the hood and tail off of the original fuzzy vest and attaching them to his sweatsuit. By the end of Halloween night, he didn't want to take it off. Unfortunately, that's the part of the camera card we lost. *sigh* At least you get the idea.

Happy Halloween?

On some subjects, it is difficult to have an original thought. So many smart people have spent time writing about it, that to add to all that would just be silly. This is especially true when you've just finished reading an article by Mark Driscoll that sums it up perfectly. :-P

Such is the case with the "Halloween for Christians" issue. Should we even celebrate at all? If so, how? And why? As I don't have a well-articulated answer of my own right now, and my child just woke up from his nap, I'll simply refer you to the article I just read. I am still forming my convictions on this issue, so give me until tomorrow. Then maybe I'll have some thoughts for you . . .

. . . along with some pictures of the cutest little "lion" you've ever seen. :-)

Mother's Day tribute

I feel like this is the first Mother's Day that I have really appreciated my mom, in the sense of understanding exactly how much she gave up to mother me. She breastfed me in an era when bottle-feeding was the norm, going so far as to pump two bottles manually during her lunch break at work every day. She gave up her career (20 years as an art teacher) to stay home with me, and in so doing, gave up the extra income, the personal fulfillment, and the recognition that comes with being excellent at what you do (which she is, by the way). She has, to my knowledge, never looked back or regretted that decision. She has never held it over my head; rather, she always seems to feel privileged that she was able to be home with me.

She wiped my runny nose (and other *ahem* areas), cleaned up my messes, and endured my tantrums. She held my hand, prayed with me, and counseled me well into the night. I don't ever remember her complaining or asking for a day off (two things that I do all the time). She did the best she possibly could, every day that I was with her. She poured her life out into me, giving me chances and opportunities she never had, shaping, molding, teaching, training. She worked hard to make me into the person I am. Then she let me go.

Since then, she has become a fantastic grandmother to my little boy. He loves to sit on her lap and play any game she wants, and she loves him fiercely. I love seeing the two of them together, enjoying each other's company and learning together. And I know she'll be as good to him as she was to me.

Thanks, mom, for all your sacrifice and love. I love you.

Happy Mother's Day.

Happy 1st birthday Lyndon!

At 4:37 am one year ago, this little guy came into our lives.

Newborn

He was way bigger than expected-- 8 lbs. 2 oz-- and took way longer than expected to get here-- 1 week past his due date after several days of labor-- and we couldn't have been more smitten with him. The next few weeks were hard ones, though, as we dealt with sleep deprivation, nipple shields, a 2-hour feeding schedule, acid reflux and tissue damage (mine, not his). We all made it, though, and lived to see the beginning of month two!

One Month Old

In March, Lyndon got the hang of eating and grew like a weed. He also got some reflux meds and became a much happier, sweet little baby.

Two Months Old

Then, all of a sudden, Lyndon "woke up" and started showing some personality.

Three Months Old

Four Months Old

(This is the pic we save and show to his fiance.)

 

Five Months Old

He started working on his skills (sitting up, rolling over, etc.) and has never really looked back.

Six Months Old

He discovered Cheerios around this time and has never looked back from that, either. They're still one of his favorite foods.

Seven Months Old

This was about the time he started actively "posing" for the camera. It's hilarious. He'll stop what he's doing, look at the camera and at least make a face, if not smile.

Eight Months Old

And then he discovered stairs. What, I didn't tell you that he's been climbing our stairs since he was nine months? Must've slipped my mind...

Nine Months Old

Like any good mother, I see my child playing with a strangulation hazard and immediately... take pictures. But seriously, who can resist a baby in red pants unrolling green Christmas ribbon?

Ten Months Old

 

He's looking less like a baby now and more like a little boy. All that hair definitely helps.

Eleven Months Old
(and "helping" mommy make her grocery list-- he actually really loves to "help" with things now)

And finally, hot off the press (taken last night in his big boy carseat)...

Twelve Months Old

He does this odd close-lipped smile when he's teething; I think he's rubbing his top and bottom gums together.

Well, little guy, it's been quite a year. We can't believe that we've been allowed to be your parents; you are such a loving, joy-filled little boy, and we feel blessed beyond belief that you are ours. It's amazing to think of how much you've grown and changed in the past year. We can't wait to see what this next year will bring!

Happy Birthday Lyndon!

first Halloween costume

Soon after Lyndon was born, I announced that he was going to be Harry Potter for Halloween, as he had a head full of untidy black hair and would only need some blue pajamas and maybe a painted-on scar. As the holiday approached, however, his hair began to lighten. It's now a soft, light brown, and he doesn't look like Harry at all. *sigh*

That meant I actually had to come up with a creative, cheap, easy, comfortable costume for a crawling 9 month-old. Um, yeah.

It came to me one night when I was asking my husband, yet again, if he had any ideas. I said something along the lines of, "He army crawls everywhere, so he has to really be able to move in his costume; otherwise, either he'll be miserable or it'll be ruined." Wait... he army crawls? Ah ha!

That's right. I dressed him in camo (most of which he already had), bought a hat, borrowed some socks, and painted his cheeks. Army ranger, anyone?

Some action shots:

He went after a really manly monster truck, which was perfect.

 I think he kind of looks like a cat in this one.

Lyndon had a lovely first Halloween.

happy birthday, er, sort of

Tuesday was Adrian's 25th birthday, and we were both determined to have a great evening together, just the 3 of us. Do you ever find that when you most want an evening to go well, it all falls apart?

Yeah. Me neither.

Lest I be accused of (more) complaining, I'll give you the cliffs notes version: Lyndon refused to eat, which made him cranky; I had to tend to him in the middle of making Adrian's special birthday dinner, which he had to finish making himself; we went searching in vain for Adrian's birthday present, which apparently is sold out everywhere; Lyndon screamed the whole way home; by the end of the night, both of us had upset stomachs.

But the point of this post isn't to feel sorry for myself. The point is to praise my husband and his attitude. At several points throughout the night, when I lamented or felt guilty about how the evening was going, Adrian would say something along the lines of, "it's only a disaster if we think it's a disaster". On the ride home, he said (over Lyndon's wailing), "This is my life now, and I can either complain about it and wish it was different, or I can love it and make the best of it." And he said it with a genuine smile on his face. There was no bitterness or regret at having his one special day "spoiled" by annoying circumstances.

We've called Lyndon our little "idol killer" since before he was born, but I had no idea how much he had pushed Adrian to grow until last night. His attitude now is so different from his attitude even a few months ago. He's actually glad to have his life turned upside-down now for the sake of his family. So, as we sang Glee songs together on the way home (because they made Lyndon stop crying), I thanked God for my wonderful husband who (by God's grace) is turning into a wonderful daddy.

Happy 25th birthday, sweetie. I love you.