Loosing that first tooth...and other signs of growing up

A couple of days ago, Zechariah lost his first little baby tooth. It had been holding on in there for quite a while, but the little fellow asked me to pull it at last. Usually, I am the designated tooth puller, splinter extractor, hang nail remover, etc. (my husband does not like these things). But this time I couldn't pull it well, and wrangled the dad into the position. Once again, I have a Snaggle Tooth in the house...and boy is he proud of himself. He was in quite a bit of shock at the beginning, which mom took to mean that he needed ICE CREAM!! It bled quite a bit, and what better excuse to eat the last little bit of ice cream in the house (mom usually saves that privilege for dad).

In other news...

the kids are all growing up. Joshua is going through---dare I say it?---Puberty! All these little Man-traits are popping out all over my little baby boy who I KNOW was just born a couple of years ago...right?









Rachael is working hard to control her moods (aka: attitudes!). I had noticed a particularly shining attitude a few days ago, after the lot of us had endured some serious TUDE from her for several days running. I complimented her on it, and she gave me a shy little grin. She asked me if I wanted to see what she had read, and ran and fetched her Princess Bible. As I washed dishes, she read to me about God's desires for our attitudes and dispositions. What a cherished moment. I'll hold on to it forever.

Daniel has recently turned 10, and even more recently been coaxed away from his YouTube addiction, where he would spend all day watching videos of "boss-fight" songs from various video games...if only mom would allow it. Poor dear has been restricted to only two per day. Now he researches sensible things again AND spends more time with his family. Yay!

And Isaiah, bless him, still has those adorable baby cheeks that I just don't want to go away. It is so hard to believe that he is three and a half. Please pray that I will have the courage to let him grow up rather than to baby him the rest of his life.








On the pet front, my poor little kitty had to be taken for an emergency trip to the vet today. It appears he somehow got into a fairly vicious scrape with another cat. His previous owners had the poor guy declawed, and he's practically defenseless in such tangles. Several stitches and several hundred dollars later, he's home and learning to deal with his Elizabethan collar. Only two more weeks to go, and it is simply heartbreaking to watch him. I've never had a pet with one before, and it interferes with his walking, sleeping, and I'm sure even his dignity...which is SO important to a cat.

And finally, at our house, Friday night is Family Fun-Filled Feast and Film Festival. This week, we ate hot dogs sans buns, broccoli soup, and mac and cheese. The only rules for our Friday night Feast are that it must be something the kids like and it must be made in plentiful quantities. The movie was A Light in the Forest. Not a must see, for sure, but still made for an enjoyable evening. Here, in a rare moment not covered with kids, is the relaxed king of the castle...and take note of this: Isaiah has this thing for piling up random items and pronouncing it a fort. So, in the top right corner, you will notice various pieces of armor (all plastic), a broken "golf club" that mom has disposed of quite a few times already (not sure how it makes it back into circulation as a toy), and an empty cracker box. What you cannot see is the cat carrier standing on end just on the other side of these items (so he could duck behind it---voilà, a fort!).