Photo Love

This is what my sweet boy does most of the time. He loves pulling up on things and is even trying to "cruise" around the house by way of the couch and coffee table. I do think that this "Princess" container is his favorite. Excepting how terribly girly it is (Karina is so nice to share!), it's a great toy because Joseph discovered the very fascinating drumming sounds he can make with it. You can see the delight he has in this toy. :)

So, that's the picture fix for all you junkies. I don't have anymore. We've been distracted scrambling around the Norman area looking for a place to live next month. We were hoping to move to Fort Worth soon (this summer, even); but in light of Baby Payne #2's arrival this winter, we decided to stay around a while to make sure our midwives can be there for his/her birth. Thus, the scrambling. Please pray God provides us with a house!

Now on to my real reason for posting. I read blogs. Yes, I might even be a junkie. I'm working on that. I don't call them my "friends" anymore, and if I won't contact them in real life, I don't read their blog anymore. Aaron calls that stalking. : /

Today, Cindy at Dominion Family posted about leisure. She quoted a very short article written by Wes Callihan of Schola Tutorials. Here it is in full:

"Many of my friends probably have bigger libraries than I do. I would guess I have somewhere between 1,500 and 2,000 books, which isn't as big as it may sound. But I have what I think is a good library - a good selection of the classics from every age, some great sets, decent language references, and theology; there are also a lot of random fill-in-the-gap categories (flyfishing, Mexico, hunting, sailing and navigation, astronomy, science fiction, literary criticism). If I never bought another book I'd have good reading for the rest of my life.

And I'll repeat what I've said before and will continue to say, probably to everyone's great annoyance. This is the heart of a good education: a small but well-chosen library, a place to sit and study, some friends to do it with, and the time and tranquility to do it in. There's such an immense, mind-bogglingly complicated tangle of extraneous issues attached to the concept of education, it's a wonder anybody ever gets one or even knows what one is. It's not about grades or credits. Those things may be necessary to get into college, but they're not part of education and it's all we can do to keep them from interfering with real education; mostly we fail at that. It's not about getting a job; that's for machines, not men and women created in the image of God. It's not about schedules and buildings and administrations and academic years and budgets and playgrounds and buses and meetings and athletics and art and field trips and curricula and email lists and offices and secretaries and science fairs and trips to the principal's office for misbehavior and lunchroom tables and drama departments and spirit week and community service and field day and school newspapers and multimedia. It's about Mark Hopkins on one end of a log and the student on the other.

Read the best books and talk about them with like-minded friends. That's been the essence of real education since antiquity, and nothing about our modern world changes that except perhaps the pandemic idiocy that gives this idea even greater urgency and even less chance than ever of being taken seriously. "

I appreciate what this man says about education. Having studied Greek and Roman history (and world history, for that matter), what I found in common with all the great minds in history is leisure. From Socrates, to Seneca, to the American farmer of the 18th century who was smarter than our Ph.D.'s of today - they had leisure. They worked hard, but that wasn't life. If knowing God is a great part of the journey here on earth, then certainly it must happen that we take time to reflect on the more meaningful things in this world, and pursue being truly acquainted with God's creation.

For the record, though, I do not believe leisure can be equated with rest (though they might be related), and certainly not with idleness. Leisure is not plopping on the couch with a coke, bag of chips and a remote. It is work in itself, but a different kind.

Aaron and I have been talking about this. We feel very busy. We're a newly-married couple with one child, a 5yo niece who is staying with us and one more blessing on the way. That may keep us busy, but we shouldn't feel so urgent. We are talking about the "simple life" and are discovering that it's possible it doesn't just exist in our long-term dream of being on the family farm in Missouri. We suspect it has more to do with our pace, with our family priorities and committments than anything else. We know that when we are not home as often we pray less, we sing less, we meditate on God's Word less, we talk less, we read less. We want to change that.

If you're wondering how I'm going to justify discussing this on Joseph's blog, here's my explanation. All this talk about leisure, the simple life and our "pace" is really just another way of discussing our philosophy of education or homeschooling. I've been homeschooling now for 9 months, so it would be impossible to give you any concrete assertions or observations. But I believe that Aaron and I might not fit into any particular category of homeschooling style: Charlotte Mason, classical, unschooling, unit studies, etc. I think we talk more about our family culture and what that should look like. What is home? What will it feel like? What will our loves be? Our goals? Priorities?

Whatever we decide will have an impact on (or direct correlation to) how our children are educated. The "methods" and curriculum matter very little. What do you love? What do you do with your free time? What do you say is important to you? We want a home and a family life that reflects our desire (for our children, and also for us) to love God and know Him more.

Quick Update

Sorry there won't be any pictures this post - I'm too tired to get up and get the camera and cord. Well, maybe just too lazy?

Anyhow, here's how we are:

Joseph is doing so well. Miraculously, he slept through the night ALL NIGHT Friday, Sunday and last night. A wonderful birthday present for Mama, eh? :)

He's pulling up and says Mama and Dada all the time. Does he know what it means?

We're trying to wean and I'm finally seeing the light at the end of the ugly tunnel. We've been starting with lunch and substituting Mama with some warmed whole Braum's milk with extra goodies in it (like oils and live bacteria). Today he drank a whopping 4 oz. - and happily, I might add. Lunch was blissful - for the first time in 3 weeks.

He knows how to sign "more".

But he's a little sinner and is now refusing to. I don't mean to be ugly. It's pretty normal and all. It's that his little stubborn and willful heart doesn't want to do what Mama says if it's not on his agenda. We've had a few standoffs in the last two days (with Mama offering his favorite yummy yogurt), and after about 10 minutes of crying, pouting, zoning out, smiling, manipulating, etc. - I won. :) He put his chubby fingers together and signed "more" - all the yogurt he wants!

He is getting more disciplined and submissive in other areas. We are very thankful he is learning to respond quickly when we tell him "no". Most times he stops mid-action and does something else. God is good!

We had to lower his crib to the last slat. I hope he doesn't like to do "Tigger" like his Daddy did.

I've kind of abandoned "listening time". I can't seem to find the time to do it during the week. Must work on this. I enjoyed it when I did do it, and saw benefits from it.

Joseph has gone from a "one bowel movement every 2-3 day" kind of guy, to a "thrice daily" kind of guy. I'm sure that's better for him.

He smiles all the time. With the exception of my wonderful husband, no one charms me like Joseph.

He has learned to "click" his tongue in mimic of us. Karina actually taught him how to do this. Their relationship is truly amazing. He will do what she does. Follow her where she goes. And smile at her for no better reason than she's a 5yo wonderful cousin to him. :)

That's all for now. My baby is beginning to look like a boy. And soon enough he'll be a big brother, too. :)

You had to be there...

I turned around just in time to see Joseph put a handful of dirt in his mouth from one of my plants. And I do mean a handful! He started gagging and spitting it out - it kept coming and coming. :) I thought he'd learned his lesson, but as soon as he cleaned out his mouth, he went back for more.

And then, later this afternoon, while Joseph was sleeping, I looked out to the porch and here's what I saw: Karina had put on her nightgown robe, and then fastened it with her pink sparkly belt. She got her new trowel and the bowls of greens I'd given her to give to the chickens, and was chopping away at a head of lettuce. With the chicken at her feet. Does this not seem amusing to you too? :)

You had to be there...

I turned around just in time to see Joseph put a handful of dirt in his mouth from one of my plants. And I do mean a handful! He started gagging and spitting it out - it kept coming and coming. :) I thought he'd learned his lesson, but as soon as he cleaned out his mouth, he went back for more.

And then, later this afternoon, while Joseph was sleeping, I looked out to the porch and here's what I saw: Karina had put on her nightgown robe, and then fastened it with her pink sparkly belt. She got her new trowel and the bowls of greens I'd given her to give to the chickens, and was chopping away at a head of lettuce. With the chicken at her feet. Does this not seem amusing to you too? :)

"If you believe in Space, you believe Jesus"

This is theology by Karina. She's been reading books about space, the moon, the stars and the sun. As she was reading one to us, she got a mysterious tone in her voice and informed us of the above. :) She's growing and learning much about Jesus and His world.

I'm sorry for the absence lately on this blog. The last two or three weeks have been a hectic jumble of sickness, minor diseases and a trip to boot. I hope we're settling back into a routine, or at least something like it.

For those of you who haven't heard, Karina has also become my dietician. She believes I need help remembering what is best to eat, and is very concerned about that. This is because we're having another baby! She wants to make sure that baby is healthy and growing and strong. I appreciate her love for our baby. :)

So, this past week I've been very tired and somewhat queasy. The kids have been wonderful. I remember this from last time, and it passed around the 16th week. Until then, Karina is being a great helper, and I'm thankful that Joseph is crawling around and having no trouble entertaining himself. Please pray for God's blessing on this child also! We are so excited about this gift!

Here are some pictures for all of you:

Joseph is enjoying solids - especially his yogurt.

Karina and Joseph

Karina has asked me several times if I would get my wedding dress out to show her. I finally did. It was neat to remember it all, and, since I couldn't fit into it, she tried it on!

More coming soon... :)

Timely Encouragement

If you know me, you'll see why this article is especially encouraging to me. It would, I trust, encourage any mom of any type (homeschool or not, I think). But there's something in the lofty lyrics and waxing eloquent that struck me as full of great and inspiring Ideas. And it's Ideas that inspire me most. :)

http://www.scriptoriumdaily.com/2007/03/29/home-school-mothers-the-beatrice-brigade/

What Karina and I Did Today

Karina had her puppy walk in Joseph's shoes for a while. He was more sympathetic after that.

We worked on the garden a while. (See the yellow and purple flowers? We planted them yesterday!)

This is the back bed where I work while Karina picks "flowers". Hey, even if they are weeds, they're purple and yellow and pretty, right? :)


Karina played with the chickens after I gave them fresh water and food. They ate right out of their favorite person's hands!

And we got ready to go eat dinner at the McIntyre's. :) She's ready to go.

So now I'm off to get myself ready. It'll take a bit of work to look as nice as Karina. :)

Spring is for Change

You remember hearing stories about our great-grandmothers tearing the house apart from top to bottom the moment they saw green come up from the ground; pounding mattresses on their front porch, scrubbing cabinets and dusting those hidden nooks and crannies; rearranging, renewing, bringing back to life.

Here in the Payne household, we've gone through a somewhat vestigial renewal of our own. Although I can't imagine spending my time this spring cleaning every square inch of the house, our home is going through some renewal and change.

Around the middle of February, I started our garden. I dug, potted, watered, doted, watched and lo and behold, we have lots of young green plants around the house and in the bed outside. It's wonderful! Hopefully, we'll be eating spinach, lettuce, nasturtium leaves, radishes and carrots soon. Have you ever seen a dry, hard, round thing magically produce an actual plant? To see this seedling push through the soil and grow toward the light- with part of the seed still clinging on? It really was almost like magic for me!

Three weeks ago, I came home with 5 baby girls. For Kelly McIntyre's sake, I will correct myself and (although I love to personify) admit that they weren't girls, they were female. Female chickens. We've been enjoying raising them. Today they're spending time outside in the backyard. They grow so quickly!

And almost a week ago, we brought home a real little girl. :) Our niece, Karina, will be staying with us for awhile. This week I've been cleaning out drawers, organizing rooms and rearranging furniture. We're hoping that while she's here, she'll be as comfortable as possible. Last night, she spent her first night in her and Joseph's room, in her bed. Although she was timid about it, she awoke with the good news that she had fallen asleep, and in fact loved her bed. :)

So, that's quite a bit of remaking our household. I love spring. :)

As an update on Joseph:

He's definitely "crawling". This past week (see pic below) it would seem that he was getting from point A to point B, but I really couldn't tell how he was doing it. He wasn't lunging, not necessarily scooting or crawling, but he was getting there. (Karina says he was doing push ups.) Now, you can definitely tell that he's crawling.

And yesterday I walked in to find that he had pulled up on the crib rail! His first time to pull up! But before I had time to savor the milestone, I put him down for his nap just a bit ago and he went from laying down to sitting up just like that! So, now he knows how to do that! My boy is growing so much! Maybe that's a plus when you have a smallish baby?

Spring is here

Here are a few pictures for you all.

This is from last Saturday - which could be our family's favorite day. We work together, get to spend time together, and just sit together. :)

This was on Sunday, as Joseph was waiting to go to church. He is hilarious to me! This look could mean a dozen different things. Any ideas?

I like grass.

Poor boy. This piece of grass got stuck in his hair and he couldn't figure out how to get it off! :)

Listening Time

We had success today! We just finished listening time and Joseph sat quietly on my lap for 20 minutes! I am so proud of him. I think it helped that we sat on the couch instead of at the desk. Maybe it had fewer distractions? And of course, many thanks goes to Waddles for his generosity in assisting us. ;)

Schedules or What I've Learned (Mostly from Others) Since Being a Mama

Written to a friend:
"I was thinking about it and I know you're different from me. You might be able to handle more than I can, or like it busier than I do. Which is great. But if you're exhausted, frustrated, stressed, or wondering how you're going to get everything done, it's okay to change things. In fact, women are teaching me that to be a good steward you should.

Before you go change anything, though, it's best to actually take a look at your schedule. What you're already doing, and see if you can condense, rearrange or organize your life to make it smoother. WHich is what we did today.

I've also attached two schedules I've used since being married. One before the baby came and one after. The one after the baby came was when Joseph was about 1 month, so it's about the same time you're dealing with now. This schedule was "abbreviated" - it's not what my ideal schedule/normal routine would be. But it's what I thought was semi-realistic with what I was going through then. Although our boys' schedules may look different, it might also give you an idea of what I felt I could handle. Please know that I didn't accomplish everything on my list each day. In fact, it was rare that I did. But it was nice to see that, say, if I didn't get to mopping the kitchen floor, since it was on the schedule for next Monday, I knew I could get to it then, if I was able.

My philosophy of schedules is in the making, but has transformed into something like this: This schedule exists to give me an idea of what to expect and what to do next so that I'm being orderly and efficient. If I miss something, it's okay. If I can't do something, that's okay too. The schedule helps me to pick up after I get out of whack and helps to create order in my attempts to take care of the house and my child. "

Dear friends and family, please be sure to remind me of all this when I'm not so sane or as calm as I am today. Remind me that I (myself!) actually believe these things when I'm stressed that I can actually see dust on my mantle, or that I killed another plant by starvation, or when I have to step over the laundry to get to Joseph's room. Remind me so that I don't have a breakdown, or decide that feminists aren't so crazy after all. Remind me so that I don't only hear that I'm "prone to evil and slothful in good", but also that I'm redeemed and being transformed daily by grace. It's hard to remember, so thanks a bunch.

Joseph's New Sisters Pets Dinner

Last Friday I made an impulse buy and came home with 5 baby chicks. Fortunately for all of us, Aaron and I were already planning on getting chicks. (That's why I was already at the store - buying supplies ahead of time.) And I did talk to Aaron while I was at the store to see if it was okay. So I suppose it was only an impulse compared to most of the purchases we make.

They're pullets, which means they're all girls and will lay eggs when they're about 5 months old. They're ready to eat in about 4. I hope Aaron lets some of them live. I wasn't having an issue with attachment until I began seeing them as future egg-producers and long-term residents of our home.

My favorite is Red. She's a Rhode Island Red. The other two will be white (what breed?), and there are two grayish/blackish ones. Right now they're in our living room in front of a south-facing window, under a heat lamp. This is officially Aaron's thing, and how attentive he is! I tried to get him involved in the garden, and he just couldn't muster enthusiasm. He thought livestock was more his thing. This was our experiment. I think he was right. If they weren't chickens (and if he didn't insist we should look at them as dinner), I would say he "dotes" on them. But, of course, he's just "tending" to them.

Anyhow, Joseph thinks they're fascinating, too. Especially when they're moving and making sounds at the same time. It's almost better than a tv. :) I have to admit, though, he shows more interest in the heat lamp. Hey, it's aluminum and large. What else is there?

It'll be interesting to see how these next few weeks and months go, as Joseph's motor skills develop right along with those of the chickens. I hope they can be friends.

(Nearly) 7 months

It's fascinating the way babies will grow, whether you help them or not. It's dawned on me that he's 7 months old and he's not learning to drink from a sippy cup, doesn't know any Baby Einstein Flashcards, and can't sign one word. I always thought I'd be the type of person to over-estimate what a baby can do; but my baby still seems to be the newborn in August. Aaron reminds me he's not.

This doesn't mean, though, that I have to be doing those things. Because I'm not. I do other things, like hold him, talk to him, show him our baby chickens, read to him, explain to him covenantal theology and perseverance of the saints - you know, your normal, everyday, reformed baby things.

Despite my own busyness, and my ignorance of certain things, he seems to be doing well. He crawled today! Really crawled. I'm talking up on his hands and knees, scooting said knees alternately forward toward an object. He maxed out at three knee moves. I'm so proud.

He also has two new consonant sounds that he discovered just since Sunday: "d" and "n". This makes Aaron particularly happy - especially the "d" one. ;)

I have a love/hate relationship with the Holidays and, now, Sundays as well. They're wonderful for the Church, but bad for babies. I'm seriously considering whether it's worth it or not to go to a church just because the service time is 3 pm. And with the traveling and strange schedules of the Holidays, Joseph has missed quite a bit of church, and nearly all of his training time. This past Sunday he was pretty rotten had a rough time. I need to get back on track here. So, today, around 11:20, I announced "listening time". Joseph didn't seem to understand. He lasted 5 minutes. Friends, that is 5 minutes! And most of that he was whiny. We have serious work to do. I'm glad God provides grace for change in all things.

If you notice in the first picture above, Joseph's discovered that he can hold and play with two things at once. He's discovered he can shake or bang one item to make "music". I'm looking for those alphabet wood blocks. I would love to see him discover stacking soon. I don't know why, but this fascinates me the most.

Joseph's diet is still looking like Mama, for the most part. Which is fine with me. He'll eat yogurt and avocado occasionally, and we're gaining more courage to let him taste new (stranger) things. He's teething (I think). But still no teeth. We pray for teeth around here.

We're doing Lent. We gave up red meat and treats (except Sundays). As a first-timer, though, I completely forgot and had a beef taco (twice), two peanut butter cookies (and brought some home for Aaron), and ordered him a steak Chalupa (since I know he loves steak!) - all on the first day. After that I told Aaron that I needed some daily focus. :)

The Payne clan is doing well. We're busy busy with our new baby chicks and the garden! Top that with a furniture-making class two evenings a week for Aaron and starting a new part-time job from home for me, and we're learning how little discipline we have but how much we need. Grace, grace, God's grace! We trust He is more than sufficient for all our needs. :)

Joseph's Literary Future, Part III

For a child to know that there is sin, sadness, evil, disappointment, deception, consequences for sin, fleeting happiness in sin, poverty, selfishness, and greed in this world makes them shrewd - not polluted. Knowledge with a proper persepctive and guidance will lead them to more fully undesrtanding the world, its temptations and who they are in Christ. But knowledge without the proper perspective or guidance will lead children to take up worldly ideas of life.

Now, where it gets sticky for me is in actually discerning which books/music/art/movies are "reflectional" and which are actually "sensational". What I have gathered is that it is not true that Christian = Reflectional and Secular = Sensational. As I said before, I have read "Christian" novels that are sensational in that they encourage young women to lose themselves in a silly love story that only makes them discontent with their own life, or encourages them to lust after some boy like so-and-so did in the book. I have heard "Christian" songs that have an awful lot to say about themselves and not much about Jesus; or that lack skill or beauty. Or even Christian movies (say, "The Omega Code") that don't have a point. What about that movie will lead me to reflection that changes my heart?

Aaron and I both listen to "secular" music quite a bit. We love their willingness to disucss life - its beauties, attractions, pleasures, but also its disappointments, hardships and surprises. Nonchristians know about life, that's for sure. And there are many lessons to be learned from the author of a song who has messed up his entire life by pursuing vainly all the pleasures of this world, and is still hopeless by the end of the song. It makes me think about my own life and what I'm pursuing, and it makes me praise God for redeeming me and giving me peace and true life. Or the movie "Braveheart". It is exceptionally graphic (and is a "borderline" movie in my opinion), but William Wallace inspires us to think about what is truly important, what we're willing to die for, and what we truly live for.

Charlotte says that one key thing is that if you're not reflecting on whatever you're reading/watching/listening to, then you won't glean anything anyway. It doesn't matter if it's a "great" book or an "awesome" song. If you don't think about it and study it, it might as well be a "sensational" book. It's produced the same shallow results.

I am most willing to acknowledge that the line is fuzzy for me. What is okay and what isn't? What is too graphic? What focuses too much on sin or its pleasures? What is age appropriate? Is there a different tolerance level for boys and girls, and each individual? Does the moral always have to be obvious?

Aaron and I have much to figure out, but we are working through these principles. Aaron put it this way: "When children are very young, they need fairy tales and storybooks to help them develop emotionally and morally; and when they're older but still young, fiction is the step between childhood and adulthood. They're not ready to enter the world and face its reality. Fiction helps them with that."

My husband is a genius. :)

Promised Pics

Problem: Get both laundry basket and baby into bedroom efficiently.

SOLUTION!

Joseph's first bath in the sink. He discovered "splashing" and thinks it's great. :)

Joseph's Literary Future, Part II

But Charlotte is right (no matter why, which is another question), a young person will seek out knowledge of "life". Men like Arthur Pendennis (see previous post) and women like myself often find this worldly knowledge in those who most obviously possess it (like the popular cheerleaders and confident, rich businessmen). Oftentimes these youth are disappointed and hurt by the results of first-hand knowledge of the world, and are grieved by the world's betrayal or rejection of them. "What can be done to fortify these against the special temptations that belong to their time of life?", Charlotte asks.

She suggests novels. An odd idea, I know. Yet, think about what a novel offers a young person: "Here is the very knowledge of life the young person craves; the personages of the novel play their parts before him, and he is admitted to greater intimacy with them than we often arrive at with our fellows...If the novelist moralise a little here and there, it is but to relieve his own feelings. He is not preaching to the young reader, to whom the lessons of life come home with illustrations never to be forgotten."

Not just any novel would offer us these kinds of "lessons of life" and knowledge that helps. Charlotte distinguishes between "sensational novels" (of which I've read my share: they evoked a blush from me much more than a contemplative "hmm") and "reflectional novels". "The reflectional novel is one which, like this of Pendennis, awakens reflection with every page we read; offers in every character and in every situation a criterion by which to try our random thoughts or our careless conduct. If we bear in mind that the obvious reflection proposed to us is as vicious in its way as the sensation suggested, we shall find that this test––the property of arousing reflection––eliminates all flimsy work, and confines us to the books of our great novelists. "

Novels, if properly chosen, can bring about in our children (and ourselves!) a kind of reflection that leads to evaluation, and then change. Of course, reflection without a standard by which to judge it would be useless. And I think Charlotte assumes that. If your children read about a slothful boy who becomes desolate and poor, you want them to be hard workers after reading that book. Making sure their minds are filled with "he who does not work does not eat" and "work in all things as unto the Lord" will help, I think.

All this is why I want Joseph to be exposed to the best literature we can find. I want him to meet all sorts of people who inspire him, educate him, enlighten him. Characters who will show him all the sorts of goodness in this world, and the evil. But there are objections to this method of education. Even in the 19th century, mothers were still saying, "'I have striven to bring up my family in innocence, and wish to keep them still from that very knowledge of life which novels offer'" (374). This is a particularly popular view in mainstream churches. Mothers (and fathers, too, I suppose) don't want their children exposed to "secular" anything because they fear that knowledge of the world will rob them of their innocence.

It's a fair objection to pose. Yet "we must remember that ignorance is not innocence, and also that ignorance is the parent of insatiable curiosity" (375). It's one thing to pollute yourself with the world by drinking deeply of its knowledge, for "it is shameful to even mention what the evil do in secret" (Ephesians 5: 12). We should not discuss/describe/ponder all the details of sin. Examples of this (I think), are sex education in public schools. Or the "sensational" novels that have breathy descriptions of being in rapturous love (even in some "Christian" romance novels) that tempt us to want to feel as the characters do. Or the graphic descriptions of the lives of drug addicts. If all a novel does is portray sin in a way that appeals to your emotions, tickles your ears, or encourage morbid fascination, then of what value is it?

Joseph's Literary Future, Part I

The following is a "thought" post. I should have known this would happen sometime, and so should you. Don't worry, this blog is still about Joseph. And will still include pictures. :)

Have you ever heard of Charlotte Mason? She was a Christian, British woman who lived from 1842-1923 and was aboslutely dedicated to truly educating students and to education itself.

Charlotte Mason wrote a series of discussions of education and I've been reading a selection of one today. In it, she discusses the book Pendennis, by William M. Thackeray (most famous for his book Vanity Fair). Arthur Pendennis is the hero, a young man raised to think himself far superior in ability and rank than he really is. This Arthur comes of age and begins to surround himself with men who are successful, based on shallow (read, worldly) standards, which encompasses money, good taste and snobby manners.

Why do young people often seem to fall for this? Even today? Charlotte says that "there is no art than that...about which boys are more anxious to have an air of knowingness" (CM Series p. 372). As children, they adore and worship their parents. "We elders are hardly aware of the ingenuousness of the young mind, of the ignorance and simplicity of youth; and, at the same time, we fail to realise the reverence in which young people hold us just for our experience' sake" (371).

But, "the young folk will have a knowledge of what they call 'life.' If we offer them our scraps of, perhaps, secondhand experience, they generalise and conclude that we are not really the worthy and perhaps rather saintly persons they had taken us for...Here we perceive the cause of the incomprehensible attractiveness of bad companions––they know life" (372).

How true that is! I remember feeling this very thing as a 13-year-old girl. Sitting in a classroom before the teacher arrived, I listened to other students talk and was enamored with this girl or that one because she knew so much more than I did. She had experienced more than I (be it going to the movies alone, wearing make-up, a dramatic fight with her best friend, or having a boyfriend), and she was my hero for that. It's interesting that what was impressive was actually silly, unimportant, and even harmful - things that don't matter if what matters is family, love and faithfulness. But they matter to the world: popularity, power, sex, influence, independence.

Aunt Carley - Master Photographer

Last night we got back from a trip to Tulsa. We came home earlier than planned because Joseph developed quite a cough and was not sleeping much at night. On our way out of town, we stopped by Uncle Donnie (Aaron's brother) and Aunt Carley's to say good-bye to the family one last time.

I think Poppie took this picture (or was it Aaron?). It's me, Joseph (watching Nana hold a very interesting octopus toy), Carley and Jared. Cousin Jared is just one month older than Joseph (he was born a preemie - he was due one month after Joseph. Quite an ambitious boy, I say). We're looking forward to the fun times these boys will have as they grow up. :)

Carley took this pic of Daddy and Joseph. Aren't they handsome???

And here it is, folks. The all-time greatest picture of Joseph. Taken by Aunt Carley herself. How she was able (in her second attempt!) to capture my sweet baby's elusive smile, I'll never understand. This is the happy boy I see all day long! :)

Thanks for sharing your pics, Carley!

Joseph Jump-Up

Today I went to get some teething supplies for poor Joseph, and I also bought a Johnny Jump Up. I put it together while he napped and I couldn't wait to see him try it. It took him a couple of minutes of spinning around (see pic below), eating the straps, reaching for the doorframe and looking at the books on the shelf, before he realized that he could bounce. And bounce he did. He'd give it a tap, look at me, and smile. Then he'd tap more and more until he was a full-fledged Tigger. Aaron tells me that his family used to call him that, because he loved to bounce. I wonder if little Joseph has inherited the trait? We'll see!