My little man

Little footprints in the sand
running, exploring my little man

"Look Mommy look!"a sailboat comes into view
so many sights all so exciting, all these sights so new

"Come, Mommy come!" let's run into the water
So cold the water is today, but that doesn't seem to matter

"Jump, Mommy jump!" let's jump over each wave
Here comes a big one, hold tight to Mommy's hand as with
the new break we play

Oh how I love to see those sweet blonde curls moving in the wind
I take a deep breath, I take a long look, I want to hold this moment in

The tide is creeping ever closer washing our pink cold toes
Oh how I'm thankful for this day no matter how the north
wind blows

He chases birds, he spins around, he dances wild a free
Oh little man you are a delight for every eye to see

Forever forever this moment shall be etched in my memory
My Eric boy, my little man
leaving little footprints in the sand

The hummm of the dishwasher

As I sit here at the computer in my mother-in-law's home, I am amazed at how much I love the sound of the dishwasher. Let me briefly explain...You see, this tiny little house has been inundated with 10 adults, one two year old and one six month old for a few days now and we have had our fill of food, fun and fudge! Our Christmas Eve was our big dinner with everyone and we had it all. I am so grateful to Bill the 'mastah mixah' for orchestrating the dinner and then many thanks go to his 'little elves' who slaved away in the kitchen all day. The meal was a success and a delicious feast for me, Tim and my two offspring who, by the way, traveled from Phoenix to Jax and were so tired and ready for non-airplane food. Christmas Eve in the Hatcher-McIlrath family is not complete without a birthday celebration for Tim's mom, Buff. Yes, she was born on Christmas Eve 29 years ago :-) and we always celebrate with a spice cake and trimmings. But that's not all! The next day is Christmas Day and we had ourselves a big time! Eric and Amy scored the highest for the most presents and we certainly enjoyed watching them play with their new things. Well, truthfully, Eric played with his new toys - Amy preferred to play with, or rather eat the tissue paper that everything was wrapped in. As far as meals go, my very smart mom-in-law and sis-in-law made a few casseroles days before and froze them. They were quite tasty and even Eric cleaned his plate! It is now 2 days after Christmas and four adults have gone back home with one more leaving tomorrow. The tissue paper is safely out of reach of my six month old, Eric's new toys have been thoroughly broken into and all the Christmas china has been put back in the cabinets until next year. It is now nearly 11PM and all is calm and and all is mostly quiet. All but the dishwasher.

Yesterday was a big day for the McIlrath family. Eric had his first official hair cut and he was in his first Christmas Concert! It doesn't sound like much, but to me it was monumental. The haircut was somewhat unplanned, but turned out to be rather pleasant. He looks great!

The second big event occured at 7o'clock later that evening. As the parents, grandparents and friends of the two, three and four year olds gathered in the activity center I was reflecting back to a time when I told myself I would NEVER be one of those silly moms sitting on the floor, camera in hand ready to capture my child's every move. Well, I must eat my words like I have done so many times since having children. First, the four year old class went up to the stage and sang pretty well. There was one little dominant boy who BELTED out the song as loud as he could so much so that the audience was in stiches! Then the three's class approached and sang well, but with not as much gusto as the four's. Finally, the anticipated event of the evening came and it was the largest group to appear. The two's. As the nine little boys and three girls made their way to the stage, I joined all of the other "silly moms" and scurried to a place where I could capture my son's every breath forever to be recorded. The only reason Eric went up to the stage was because Ava was up there. (Ava is a little girl in his class and he is crazy about her). Well, they attempted to sing "By low, Baby Jesus" but truthfully it was just the teachers singing and the kids stood there looking and waving at the their crazy moms holding the cameras. Eric even jumped off the little platform and started walking over to me. I motioned for him to go back and he did with a bit of reluctancy, but stood in his place until the song was over. After the song was over, I had to laugh because I had spent most of the day wondering if Eric would behave, what he would wear, and other meaningless ponderings. Well, he looked precious in his Christmas outfit, his behavior was totally acceptable and we all thoroughly enjoyed those fun-filled two and a half minutes. Did I mention that Eric did not sing at all during the program? Wouldn't you know it, he sang the song when we were getting ready for bed later on that night.

Typical.

May you have a Merry Christmas!

Someone else's shoes

I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. 1 Corinthians 9:22
THis was the scripture that we meditated on in Holy Yoga last week. This has always puzzled me and I am just wondering what you think about it? It made me think about life from the perspective of others. Take my neighbor for example. We call her "Crazy Liz", but her real name is Elizabeth Casey. This widow is in her 80s, has macular degeneration and is skinny as a rail. What is it like to live by yourself and not be able to see? Sometimes she comes over to our house just to tell us that there has been a recent break-in around the neighborhood and she wants us to know. Sometimes when I am in the yard with the children, she comes out to get her mail (her one daily dose of sunshine) and we chat, usually about her health. So when I think of her and in reference to the above scripture I am stumped. I do not know what it is like to be a widow, practically blind and lonely. But, I do know that she loves to talk with me and look at my children. Maybe by standing in my front yard for an extra hour listening to her talk about the most recent doctor's appointment saved her from an hour of loneliness inside of her dark world inside her home.
Another example. There is a little two year old boy in my life that acts in ways that sometimes are not acceptable to me. For instance, yesterday I told Eric to "come to Mommy" because I wanted him to get in the car so we could get to where I wanted us to go. After I called to him, he ran in the opposite direction. At first I got mad and wanted to yank him by the arm and drag him in the car. But I didnt. I put myself in his shoes. "Why was he running away", I pondered. I think it was because I had been preoccupied with other things the entire day and we had not played together at all. He just wanted to have some of my attention and simply play "get you" with me. Well, I put aside my desire to get in the car and I played "get you" with him in the parking lot for a few minutes. Luckily there was still some daylight left and the parking lot was not busy. After our little "get you" game, I told him it was time to get in the car and he willingly went in and got in his seat. I tend to judge others so quickly. Thanks be to God that He wants me to change and leave the judging to Him. I have been very conscious of my thoughts toward people now. I put myself in their shoes and think about how I may relate to them in order to be a light to them.
Well, enough of my musings. Good night.

Butterfly Kisses

Tonight as I was putting Eric to bed he said, "Lay down, Mommy" as he patted the empty space on the pillow next to his head. I laid down next to that precious little head of curly blonde hair and blinked my eyes close to his cheek. He got really still and I told him that I gave him a butterfly kiss. He turned his head and said, "other" meaning that he wanted me to give him a butterfly kiss on the other cheek. "Butterfly kisses other, Mommy" he said. This went on for a while and I just smiled all over. Sometimes I am in a hurry to get him in the bed, then I quickly say prayers and then it is out of his room for me to putz around the house cleaning up, etc. But not tonight. As I laid there next to a little boy, who only yesterday seemed to be a newborn, I determined in my mind to let everything else go and just be. The house is still a wreck, but I taught my son how to give butterfly kisses. There is a cheesy song called "Butterfly Kisses" by a well known contemporary Christian singer/songwriter and when I first heard it, I thought the standard "awwwww how sweeeeeet - cheesy, but sweet". Forgive me, Mr. Carlisle. I must eat my words because now that I am a parent, I know why he had to write it. It is the same reason why I am writing now. Those moments he had with his beloved daughter were too precious just to keep tucked away in his memory. I write because I too, want to make those cherished moments with my son more solid. By writing it down, I remember it more and I have something to publish and share with him later on down the road.

Happy Howaleen!!

Yes, it is quite late here in Arizona and I am doing my blogging. Tim is working a night shift which means a late night for me, too. Why do I go to bed at a decent hour when he is home, but when he is gone (which is about 6 shifts per month) I stay up and just piddle around like a sleepless field mouse? I would love to receive your comments about this. Anyway, here is a picture of us on Howaleen. That is how Eric calls it. Eric was a clown and Amy was a strawberry. She really liked her collar. She told me later that it didn't taste much like a strawberry though.

A quiet romantic dinner for two who are two. I wonder if these little ones will remember laughing with each other.

Who knows, maybe they will share another delightful dish of mac n cheese together 20 years from now.

Until then...

The antithesis of Lavendar

Today was one of those days. I just have to laugh because if I don't I will cry. My life isn't very 'lavendary' right now. In fact, it smells like pee, poop and puke. Nice, huh. Eric has been going through this phase where he just will not take a nap. He goes in his room and plays for about an hour and a half. Usually what happens is that he goes in his room, lays down on his bed, and as I rub his back and sing to him he says "bye, Mommy". He wants me to leave the room so that he can get up and play or read. So I leave and when I peek in a few moments to check on him he is playing cars or doing something out of his bed. Oh, I almost forgot. He has pooped in his pants. No, he won't poop in the potty before naptime. He somehow likes to go in his pants after I leave the room. So, today was one of those days where I put him down for a nap and naturally he poops in his pants after I leave. A few moments later when I peek in on him, he says "Mommy, poo poo potty". Great. I then take him to the bathroom and clean him up and as we flush the toilet, I see that it is not working. So of course the toilet overflows and there is a terrible smell coming from the bathroom. Eric is absolutely enthralled with this contraption and the fact that the toilet water is not going down as it usually does, but is coming up and over the brim of the bowl. "Mommy! Water" All the while, my little Amy Charlotte has been fussing because she is hungry and waiting for me to feed her. At this point, she is full on screaming and I am in the middle of poop and a curious little two year old. Tim, who has been trying to nap himself, comes to the rescue and cleans up the bathroom, while I clean Eric. He goes back into his room and I go into feed Amy. (Yes, I did wash my hands). Tim eventually goes back to take a nap and the world was still for a few moments. Amy must have sensed the commotion because after I fed her, she spit up all over me. Ahh the lovely smell of baby puke. So this is one of those Tales where life isn't very lavendary. I write this in hopes of comforting those who are having a not-so-smooth-day. Rest assured that pee, poop and puke happens to us all.

People ask me why I named my blog "Lavendar Lane". Well, on the night that I started this, I had just put on lotion with a hint of lavendar fragrance to it. Lavendar has a healing, calming and peaceful quality to it. The scent of it is pleasurable and whenever I smell it, it just brings peace and a calm reassurance to my soul. On that night, it was late and everyone in my household was asleep and I had the scent of lavendar wafting into my nostrils. However, there are many times in my life where things are the exact opposite. It is loud, chaotic and the scent of poop fills my nostrils. Hence the name, Tales from Lavendar Lane. Sometimes it is 'lavendary' sometimes I want it to be.

Now is one of those peaceful times. Have you ever just stood over the bed of a sleeping baby, staring at that precious life? Have you ever cried as you did that? I walked into my son's room and just stared at him. He is so precious. He fills up his toddler bed so much that I can't believe he is only two! Then I walked into the room of my baby girl and just stared at her. How is it that I am blessed to be the mother of these two lives? If only God knew what crazy days I have had in the past. If only He knew how irresponsible I have been, He wouldn't have given me these gifts. But yes, He knows all about me. He knows my past and He was right there when I was in the midst of making some very poor choices. Yes, He was there and still He gave me the privilege of being a mother to some very precious people. I hope I don't mess up. Wait... too late on that one. I have messed up in the mothering department and I think it is safe to say that I will make a few more mistakes in the future. God is good, because as I stare at my sleeping children, it seems to me that they are perfect, so something went right. Not me though. it is the nearness of God that is my good. The nearness of God in me has done good to my children.
The next time you go check on sleeping babies, take a few minutes just to stare at them. But remember to take a Kleenex.

Hello. This is my first blog. Hello to all of my family and friends that are reading this. It is about 9:45 at night and my children and husband have been in bed for almost two hours now and I am so thrilled to have this time on the computer by myself. I have been checking emails, reading the blog of my sister-in-law, and surfing the net. My sister-in-law, Manuela (the one with the blog) has inspired me to step out and start this blog. It is definately a positive thing to take advantage of since so many of my loved ones live all over the place. This is a tool that lets us share with those far off. I will probably post a lot of cute things my children are doing and saying and I hope they make you smile just as much as they did me.
To start with, Eric, Amy and I were in his room cleaning up. I was sitting on the floor, Amy was on her tummy on the floor andEric was being his busy self all around us. Well, he came up behind me and was putting his hand on my back and I said "Eric, scratch Mommy's back like this". I then proceded to gently scratch Amy's back and he started to mimic me by gently scratching my back. Then he did a most PRECIOUS thing, he said "Mommy shoulder" and put his cute chubby little hands on my shoulders and, as best he could, massaged my shoulders. He was imitating what I do to Tim, my mom and dad when they ask me to rub their shoulders. Is he just the most precious boy, or what! It just goes to show that he sees and takes in SO SO much more than I verbally teach him. May every move I make be healthy, virtuous and pleasing to God. Therefore, Eric will see these moves and imitate them and as he grows he to will be a healthy, virtuous little man of God.