Remembering Big Mama

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On Monday our family experienced a great loss when my grandmother, who we called Big Mama, passed away. She died peacefully with my uncle in the room with her. For those of you who met my grandmother, you were quite unlikely to forget her. She was an amazing woman who absolutely loved people, especially children. She had an unbelievable ability for making children feel special.

Some of my best memories as a child are on the farm. It was a magical place for children, with plenty of places to explore, a ton of scrap wood to build things with and plenty of fast toys like a motor scooter and a go-cart. My cousin Amy and I used to have so much fun playing together at Big Mama's house, taking turns on the go-cart and eating all the candy, soda and ice cream we could handle. If you follow my sister's blog, she has already covered most of this.

One thing that could not be denied about Big Mama was that she LOVED to talk! She would strike up conversations with just about anyone, and when we got together as a family, she always had plenty to say. And she didn't have to be in person to talk, either. She routinely called us about once a week or more, and always loved hearing from her, even if it was for just a few minutes. So, what happened if we happened to not be home? Well, she would just leave a message as if we were having a conversation (she usually did most of the talking anyway). Gina and I got the idea a couple of years ago to record some of her voicemails. Well, Big Mama didn't disappoint and gave us several good ones, which I have posted below.

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The apple doesn't fall far from the tree

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Yesterday afternoon, the boys grew tired of playing in the family room and eventually migrated to the dining room. They were busy playing with their cars on the windowsill, so I decided to grab my laptop and steal a quick glance at my e-mail. As usual, I took a little longer than I intended because I wanted to see the result of the UVa vs. Wake Forest basketball game (not good, by the way). In the corner of the room I could hear a faint clicking noise. As I looked over the table, Sam said, "Hi Daddy!" and this is what he and Nate were doing ...

One of them (Sam, I assume) managed to take it off the table, unplug it, open it, and yes, turn it on. Amazing. By the time I was able to grab the camera, they were getting antsy and asking for me to put on a video. So, I gave them their snack cups and put on a children's music video. Even when I think they are doing something else, these two little sets of eyes are always watching.

Bye-bye, Snow

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At least, that is what Sam was saying for about 2 weeks. I know it snowed when I lived in Ohio, but I don't remember if I liked it or not. I know it didn't snow when I lived in Arkansas, and if it did ... even half an inch ... the whole town shut down. It definitely snowed in Wyoming, and I remember not really liking my first winter there. Still, I learned how to ski and got pretty accustomed to the snow and cold weather after that. Why am I saying this? Well, it seems that at least one of our boys hates the snow. In Wyoming, he screamed if we even set him down. When we returned to Illinois, there was a lot of snow on the ground, and he didn't even want to walk to the car. Who is this child? Sam of course. Well, I looked out the window into the backyard this morning when I woke up, and it seems Sam may finally be getting his wish after nearly 3 weeks. Almost all of the snow is gone, and the rain that is supposed to fall today will surely wipe out what's left. This is surprising to me because I thought for sure the snow here would stay until March or at least late February. Perhaps the weather here is more like Virginia than I thought: cold rain, some snow, and that wet, cold air that goes right to your bones. Needless to say, cabin fever is starting to settle in.

Heroes in Training

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Today Sam and Nate got to attend a birthday party for their two friends, Jordan and Gayle Kinley. These friends are the children of Jenene and Ken, and Jenene is a first-year faculty member at UIS. Her office is next to mine. Jordan turned 5 this week, and Gayle Kinley is the same age as the boys. The theme of the party was Superhero Training Camp, and the boys had to undergo some harsh and rigorous training in order to earn their superhero capes (which they wouldn't wear).

Some of the training requirements included an obstacle course, in which the children had to rescue stuffed animals from a burning building (cardboard box decorated as a burning building) and put them safely in the shelter, finding hidden ballooons, and my favorite, "pin the Spiderman sticker on the villain." We also got to refuel on delicious hotdogs and chili. The boys especially liked eating superhero birthday cake.

I know it's risky to put top secret information on the Web, but here are some pictures taken from this stealth training.

The Joshua Tree principle

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I also could have named this post, "Things I never noticed before I had children." If you've never heard of the Joshua Tree Principle, you can read a little about it. It's interesting but not groundbreaking stuff. The first observation was something I put on my Facebook status yesterday. Yes, I updated my status, not something I do all that often. Anyway, I got annoyed yesterday because I was plagued with a recurring issue in my life: trying to find the boys' sippy cups. This shouldn't be that hard, since the boys basically spend all their time in two rooms in the entire house. And the rooms aren't that big. But when it comes to finding their sippy cups, I am pretty sure I spend half of my time wandering around those two rooms looking behind, under, next to and top every single item in the room. Why in the world would two little cups be so hard to find? Well, it's because sippy cups are the exact same color as every one of the boys' toys. They blend in perfectly. I swear, there have been instances where I am looking directly at a  sippy cup and can't see it. There are deer and elk in Wyoming who wish they blended in with their environment this well. I know the whole point of these colors is marketing. I don't know too many parents who will buy their children earth tone sippy cups. But on a practical level, it's a little annoying that every company that makes anything for children uses the same colors. Toys, tableware, cups, books, DVD cases ... you name it. Put them all together and you get a brilliant mosaic of red, blue, yellow, green, purple and orange, and good luck trying to distinguish individual objects from within the mire. It's like Where's Waldo, but this time Waldo is a blue cup with a yellow lid.

The other observation I have made is how grocery stores, or stores in general, market to children. I noticed this the first time with my nephew Zach, and I have seen it replayed with my own children. Unless you are three feet tall, you would never notice that (seemingly) everything on the lower grocery store shelves is marketed for children. Sponge Bob, Spiderman, Lightening McQueen, Dora and Buzz Lightyear adorn such items as Spaghetti-O's, Mac and Cheese, fruit cups, juice boxes, yogurt, etc. From my perspective, we go to the grocery store to buy food. My kids think they are at Disneyland or Universal Studios. The same is true of Toys R Us. You need a bike helmet for your toddler? Good luck finding one without a cartoon character on it. Now, to be fair, the extent to which toy companies and the TV/film industry are in cahoots is no secret. I mean, I there was a time when I would have sold my soul for a Star Wars figure or ship. So, it's not like I go to Toys R Us and feel violated because 99% of the toys are based off television shows or movies. I know how the system works. I guess I am just a little bothered that so much effort is put into trying to attract my children's attention and turn them into little consumers. Even more annoying is how shameless these people are in trying to get to my wallet through my children.

This post is probably more appropriate for my other blog, but I just thought I would write what is on my mind. I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on this.

Snowbound

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When we left Springfield for Wyoming three weeks ago, it was cold but not unbearable. We got some snow in Wyoming, but it never got really cold. As we were driving back, I noticed the thermometer in the car going down, down, down. When we left Casper, it was around 40 degrees. By the time we were halfway across Nebraska it was in the teens. It was 10 in Kearney and 5 in Lincoln. Driving across Iowa was paradise, with a wind chill factor of -19, and it has pretty much been that cold since we got back. We got more snow today, and it's supposed to get bitterly cold until sometime next week. So, what do two boys do when it's this miserable outside? Watch Sesame Street in their new rocking chairs from Granny and Granddad, of course.

Journey to the top of the world

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Over our Christmas break to Wyoming, my dad, my brother-in-law and I took a snowmobiling trip to Burgess Junction, WY. My sister and her husband are friends with the owners of Bear Lodge, where we stayed and ate for two wonderful days in the high country. I have to admit, when my parents told us on Christmas Day that we would be snowmobiling in the Big Horn Mountains, I was a little uneasy about it. Having grown up in Wyoming, I'm still a sucker for vigorous outdoor winter activities. I always tell Gina that "the cold" doesn't feel cold anymore when you get out and move around. She's not buying it, but that's a topic for another time (I love you, Gina!). However, when I think of snowmobiling in Wyoming, I think of Rulon Gardner, and frankly, that scares me a little bit. But this was my Christmas present and I wanted to be open to the possibility of a new adventure. So, with a little nervousness and a bag full of cold weather gear, we embarked on the snowy Wyoming roads for a two-day getaway in the mountains.

We arrived at Bear Lodge in the evening just as it was getting dark. We checked into our room, put our stuff down and headed to the dining room for dinner. It was delicious, and we spent a little while longer just sitting around watching a bowl game. The next morning we awoke to the news that it was -15 degrees F. Yes, you read that right. We decided to wait until the temperature had risen a little bit before venturing off into the wilderness, so we went down to get some breakfast. By 9:30 or so, we were ready to get started. I mean, who wouldn't? By this time the temp was up to -5 degrees! After getting dressed and filling out the snowmobile rental paperwork, we were off.

I won't give you every detail (and thankfully there are no really scary stories to share), but I will tell you that I am a new fan of snowmobiling. Now, I'm not about to go out and buy one, but I will definitely go again. It was cold, but driving the sled (this is snowmobiler lingo for a snowmobile) kept me just active enough to stay warm. The scenery was amazing, and it was a lot of fun being able to share this with Joe and my dad. We talked about going again and bringing the wives and kids. We'll see how that goes. For the record, we stayed on the groomed paths and didn't do anything risky or daring.  Looking back, I can't think of a better Christmas present: I was able to share it with others, it represented everything I love about Wyoming, it was a great adventure, and I didn't have to find a place in the car to put it for the drive back to Illinois!

Home for the Holidays

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I know it's been a few days since my last post, but we have been pretty busy the last few days. Actually, busy isn't the most accurate word. We've just had a lot of activities that have seriously decreased my computer time (which I don't consider a bad thing, by the way), including traveling to Wyoming (a two-day drive), visiting with friends and family, and resting.

We left Springfield early on Friday morning, and the travel conditions were pretty much ideal all the way. We stopped briefly in Omaha, NE, for dinner with Auntie Flo, then stayed the night in Lexington, NE. If you aren't familiar with Nebraska, then chances are you have never heard of Lexington. I am familiar with Nebraska, and I'd never heard of Lexington. Anyway, we got back on the road early Saturday morning and arrived in Casper about 3:30 that afternoon. The boys traveled like champs, and they were very excited to see their GiGi and PaPa. My sister and her family were supposed to arrive later that night, but the huge snowstorm (that's been all over the news) kept them stranded in Virginia. They were able to catch a flight on Monday, and they arrived late that night.

We have had a great time hanging out together, and the cousins are having a ball. Their favorite activities so far are singing Christmas carols, playing with the train set GiGi borrowed from a friend and riding the Christmas train at the mall.

On Sunday, before the Murrays arrived, my parents had an open house for friends of the family to drop in and say hello. The twins were a hit in their Christmas outfits GiGi made for them, and they loved meeting all the new people. They especially liked all the yummy snacks sitting out for the taking.

I'm sure there will be a couple more updates before we have to head back to Illinois, but for now just let me say the trip has been wonderful and very restful. It snowed all day today, so unless an infamous Wyoming wind comes up tonight, chances are pretty good we'll have a white Christmas. Gina is pretty excited about that, and even though I grew up here, I have seen only a handful of them myself. It will be a special day for everyone.

Winter Fun

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Sam and Nate have really enjoyed some of the activities that come with winter and Christmas. Over the weekend we went to the mall to walk around and let the boys catch all the sights and sounds of Christmas. They rode the little train all by themselves with no drama.

In what turned out to be  a total role reversal, Nate rode the carousel all by himself (actually, I was standing right next to him). Sam had a minor meltdown brought on by having to WAIT for the ride to start. He and Gina walked around the mall and rode the escalator while Nate and I went round and round.

We then sat down for a nice lunch in the food court. Again, Nate ate a little of everything but Sam was partial to the chicken fingers. In Sam's defense, he has not felt very well the last couple of days, so his tolerance for anything new or out of the ordinary is pretty low. Even so, it was strange to see our "calm" child freaking out about everything and our "dramatic" child taking everything in stride. I guess this is what we get for putting labels on our children (which we really don't do, by the way).

Earlier in the week, Gina took the boys out for a quick romp in the snow. This was not a huge snow, and the majority of it was gone by noon, but it was still fun to bundle the boys up and watch them explore their icy surroundings. This is just a small taste of what they will see in Wyoming in a few days. Hopefully there is some snow for them to play in, either in town or on the mountain.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

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Gina, the boys and I started getting the house ready for Christmas this week. I started by putting up our tree, then Gina and the boys have been decorating a little at a time all week. We are leaving town again in a couple of weeks, so we aren't going all out with the decorating, but we wanted to make it look like Christmas at our house at least a little bit. The boys haven't quite caught on to the decorating thing, but they do like seeing Christmas lights on the houses in our neighborhood. Nate got the Christmas season kicked off right by doing his best Rudolph impersonation with ketchup, then Sam did an interpretation of "... settled in for a long winter's nap ..." at the end of lunch.

Back Home

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Our Thanksgiving trip to Texas had to finally end, and we arrived home today. The drive home went pretty well, but there were a few more rough spots than there were on the trip down. For entertainment, we have been relying on videos I have saved on my computer. We keep it charged with an AC adapter that plugs into the cigarette lighter. Well, the adapter died about an hour from our hotel last night, and the boys were not happy about it one bit. In my world, I can rationalize that the battery died and the thing that charged the battery isn't working, so it's perfectly reasonable to go without Elmo for an hour until we get to the hotel. In a toddler's world, the video was working one minute and not working the next, and they want it back with no explanations or rationalizations. Needless to say, within minutes I pulled over and got the other laptop out of my bag so they boys could watch the rest of their video. Thank goodness Gina married a geek who happens to have 2 laptops. Let me explain briefly that Sam and Nate don't watch a lot of videos. We usually let them watch one 30-minute video per day, and it's usually while Gina is working on dinner. However, long road trips are a different story altogether. I can't speak from experience, since my childhood was during the time before car seats and my parents let my sister and I play in the back seat untethered. So, I have to use my imagination when I think about how boring car seats must be. There is really only so much a toddler can do in a car seat before he starts to lose patience. And when our toddlers lose patience, they yell and scream, which means Gina and I will lose our minds shortly thereafter. So, on long road trips videos are a good way to break the monotony of being strapped in a car seat like Hannibal Lecter.

Overall, the trip was great and the boys traveled like little champs. We loved spending time with family and friends, and we are already talking about our next trip in May. I included a couple of great shots from our last days in Texas.

Notice the cowboy boots!

On our last night in Dallas, Granddad took the boys to ride a special Christmas train, which is actually in a guy's backyard. It's really quite amazing and was a lot of work to construct. Sam loved the train and took 2 rides. Nate ... well, he screamed and the driver had to stop the train to let him off. He did, however, love watching it go around and around while sitting with me on the ground. I was happy with that, too.

Cousins and Friends

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Sam and Nate got to see their cousins on the Kelly side again today when we stopped in to the Great Wolf Lodge on our way back to Garland. We can't wait until the boys are a little older so we can take them here to swim and do all the other activities.

Later that day, Gina's friend Lisa came to the house with her little girl Ruby. She is a couple of months older than the boys, and they had fun playing together while Gina and Lisa visited. When she left, she was able to sneak a good-bye kiss from each of them. Don't let Sam or Nate tell you they didn't like it. They both tried to sneak another one before she left.

Overwhelmed

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The word "thankful" hardly seems adequate to capture all that I have felt the last few days. I guess I am recalling  my experiences as a teacher, when I would encourage my students to list all the people and stuff in their lives that they were thankful for. I'm not criticizing that perspective on thankfullness, but it goes much deeper than that for me. More than anything, my spirit resonates with an awareness that every single blessing in my life has come from a much greater source, and I didn't do anything to earn any of it. I am so tempted to walk through life with the attitude that, "I live a good life, therefore ..." The truth is, God is committed to capturing my heart completely, restoring it wholly and using it solely for His Kingdom. That's all He wants, and everything good He has given me is an expression of His love, not my merit.

So, as I celebrate Thanksgiving, I am overwhelmed that the God of the universe would reach into my heart and sing me a love song. It just seems like a few short years ago that I was kind of wandering aimless through life with all kinds of questions about how my story would develop. I have a beautiful wife, two unbelievable twin boys who amaze me everyday, a loving and supportive family, and the opportunity to pursue the career I have always dreamed of. I don't deserve it, so the best way I can think of to show my gratitude is to breathe it all in fully and give the glory back to the Author of this adventure.

Visiting MaMa

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Gina and I had been a little uncertain over how the boys were going to do on the trip to Texas this Thanksgiving. They have not done so well on previous 12-hour road trips, so we were expecting there to be a few meltdowns along the way. Well, they surprised us once again by handling the whole trip like champs. By the time we got to MaMa's house on Saturday afternoon, they were totally recharged and ready for action. We had a nice lunch at Golden Corral, then we spent the rest of the day playing and visiting at the house. MaMa had to go back to her rehab facility for the night, so I drove her there and we settled in for the night. Gina and the boys went to bed, and I watched the Texas v. Kansas football game.

We are now in Dallas and we've had a great time so far. Gina and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary by going to the Melting Pot for dinner on Sunday night. It was unbelievably delicious, and we once again ate way more than we could hold. We are looking forward to seeing the other set of great-grandparents on Wednesday, then more family on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Here are few more pics of our stop in Shreveport.

Prayer Request

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As many of you know, my sister's daughter Ella has a rare skin disease called Epidermolysis bullosa, which means her skin is very fragile and gets injured easily. Katie and Joe are awesome parents and have been amazing in their care and maintenance of Ella's "boo boos." On top this, Ella is a toddler and has learned to express her dissatisfaction with things she doesn't like, such as going to the doctor. Well, these two circumstances met each other head on today when Ella heavily resisted getting an important eye exam she really needs. My sister is asking for prayer for the next appointment, which is next Wednesday (11/25) at 8:45. Specifically, she would like prayer for Ella to be calm and cooperative. You can read more about Ella on her blog: teamjoella.blogspot.com. Your prayers mean a lot to Joe and Katie, and to our entire family.

Park Fun

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Sam and Nate got to enjoy what might be their last blast at Washington Park this week before the cold weather rolls in. They met their favorite friend Nina for a play date last week, and based on the forecast it may have been one of the last "outdoor" days for awhile. Nina's dad is a professor at UIS, just like me, and they live about 2 blocks away from us. We've had a fun time getting to know this family, and we look forward to doing more fun things with them this winter. As you can see from the first photo, Gina is releasing her inner Ansel Adams with some creative shots.