Wednesday, June 21, 2006
All I want for Christmas is my...
Yeah. Go ahead. Finish the song. "But a Christmas song in June?" you ask. "Whatever for?" Wellllll... and I hesitate to say why. You e-people will surely think I am the least qualified person on the planet to have 4 children, especially when y'all find out that Kirk, my baby, got his two front teeth knocked out on Sunday. Yes, snaggletooth-dom has invaded our home once again- this time it is here to stay, for a while at least, seeing as how Kirk just turned 4. The story goes a little something like this...
At a small church gathering, far, far away (not really- just 10 minutes away) two boys played with opposite ends of a baby stroller (minus the baby). One child, mine, grabbed the handled end of the stroller, while another boy, not mine, held the front end. Aforementioned older boy released pink baby stroller, not realizing that younger child (mine) was actually pulling quite aggressively. And before you could say "tooth fairy" two tiny teeth were laying on the floor, roots and all.
At this point, some background information might be helpful. You see, Kirk has sustained some pretty major trauma to those teeth- twice, in fact. We were actually told by our previous dentist that his two front teeth would turn gray, die, and possibly abscess, resulting in a root canal(s). Yikes! Who wants their 2 year-old to have a root canal? But they never turned gray- just a yellowish color. Oh yeah, and every 4-6 months or so, these pus-pocket looking things would pop up on his upper gums above the front teeth. We found out that was the beginning of the abscess process and, if left untreated, could travel into his sinus cavity and do some serious damage. Lovely.
So, we visited beautiful-blonde-soft-spoken-dentist-lady on Monday to assess the damage. She concluded that 1) all of the two teeth came out- no broken pieces remained, and 2) she probably would have extracted them very soon anyway, due to the fact they were already causing issues. SO! Could this incident on Sunday really have been a providential blessing, saving us hundreds of dollars in dental fees? Obviously, we are choosing to think, "YES!"
Besides, the teeth were accidentally thrown away during the Father's Day post-meal cleanup time...
At a small church gathering, far, far away (not really- just 10 minutes away) two boys played with opposite ends of a baby stroller (minus the baby). One child, mine, grabbed the handled end of the stroller, while another boy, not mine, held the front end. Aforementioned older boy released pink baby stroller, not realizing that younger child (mine) was actually pulling quite aggressively. And before you could say "tooth fairy" two tiny teeth were laying on the floor, roots and all.
At this point, some background information might be helpful. You see, Kirk has sustained some pretty major trauma to those teeth- twice, in fact. We were actually told by our previous dentist that his two front teeth would turn gray, die, and possibly abscess, resulting in a root canal(s). Yikes! Who wants their 2 year-old to have a root canal? But they never turned gray- just a yellowish color. Oh yeah, and every 4-6 months or so, these pus-pocket looking things would pop up on his upper gums above the front teeth. We found out that was the beginning of the abscess process and, if left untreated, could travel into his sinus cavity and do some serious damage. Lovely.
So, we visited beautiful-blonde-soft-spoken-dentist-lady on Monday to assess the damage. She concluded that 1) all of the two teeth came out- no broken pieces remained, and 2) she probably would have extracted them very soon anyway, due to the fact they were already causing issues. SO! Could this incident on Sunday really have been a providential blessing, saving us hundreds of dollars in dental fees? Obviously, we are choosing to think, "YES!"
Besides, the teeth were accidentally thrown away during the Father's Day post-meal cleanup time...
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Back in the summer of '69...
(Guitar intro) Got my first real 6-string; bought it at the 5 and Dime. Played it 'til my fingers bled- was the summer of '69...
You know the song- and you know you love it. Be HONEST!!!! What a perfect summer song. The summer of '69 was a very important one in my life. In fact, my life hinges on a monumental event of that summer- my mom and dad got married!! So you can see how that's kinda crucial, right? Then, three years later, along came ME. But I digress...
My dad, however, has never (to my knowledge) played a 6-string, or any instrument for that matter, 'til his fingers bled. And my mom has only ever played a flute- or was it the clarinet?- hardly a fitting instrument for a rock band!! But, still, I love the song.
So, thirty-seven years of marriage. How fantastic is that? It is a testimony to God's grace, because neither of my parents were believers when they married. It wasn't until I was a toddler that God drew them to Himself. Still, He preserved their time together until they were His!
But my mom got some really crazy comments yesterday from ladies at work. Things like, "Isn't it boring? Being married to the same person for so long, I mean?" Well, I think I know my dad well enough to say that marriage to him might be a lot of things to my mom, but BORING has never been one of them (love ya, Dad)!
And I have lots of memories of the "early years." I was an only for 6 years, so most of my early memories don't include my sister. I remember things like going over to my dad and whispering in his ear, "tall building." I do not know why that was so significant, but I loved to say it! Weird, huh? I remember watching a television movie with my mom where some gal was thrown into a pit of alligators (or crocodiles), and for days I would just casually turn to my mom and ask, "Do you think the alligators have eaten her yet?" Like when we would be in church. Or driving down the road. Or waiting in the doctor's examining room. And dad, remember when you cut your finger so badly with a steak knife? It was when we lived in an apartment and my favorite thing to eat was the fat from the steak. I KNOW, disgusting!
But I have tender memories, too. Like when my dad dropped me off at daycare for the first time and left me for a grand total of about 3 hours (if that) because he couldn't bear the memory of my tears and asking him not to go. You probably had to take time off without pay that day, didn't you? Or when my mom came to tell me my Grandpa (Dad's father) died and I was just so overwhelmed that I started crying in the hallway of my friend's home and she just sat on the floor with me and put her arms around me.
I basically have 34 years of those kinds of memories- and funny ones too. And ones I'd rather forget. Like locking the keys in the car. Or learning to drive a 5-speed (on a hill). And the fake ID. Okay, enough memories. So, if I have all these great ones and I'm just the child, I imagine they have even greater ones, and more of them. What an encouragement to me and Rob as we are in our mere 13th year! So much to look forward to...
Love you Mom and Dad.
You know the song- and you know you love it. Be HONEST!!!! What a perfect summer song. The summer of '69 was a very important one in my life. In fact, my life hinges on a monumental event of that summer- my mom and dad got married!! So you can see how that's kinda crucial, right? Then, three years later, along came ME. But I digress...
My dad, however, has never (to my knowledge) played a 6-string, or any instrument for that matter, 'til his fingers bled. And my mom has only ever played a flute- or was it the clarinet?- hardly a fitting instrument for a rock band!! But, still, I love the song.
So, thirty-seven years of marriage. How fantastic is that? It is a testimony to God's grace, because neither of my parents were believers when they married. It wasn't until I was a toddler that God drew them to Himself. Still, He preserved their time together until they were His!
But my mom got some really crazy comments yesterday from ladies at work. Things like, "Isn't it boring? Being married to the same person for so long, I mean?" Well, I think I know my dad well enough to say that marriage to him might be a lot of things to my mom, but BORING has never been one of them (love ya, Dad)!
And I have lots of memories of the "early years." I was an only for 6 years, so most of my early memories don't include my sister. I remember things like going over to my dad and whispering in his ear, "tall building." I do not know why that was so significant, but I loved to say it! Weird, huh? I remember watching a television movie with my mom where some gal was thrown into a pit of alligators (or crocodiles), and for days I would just casually turn to my mom and ask, "Do you think the alligators have eaten her yet?" Like when we would be in church. Or driving down the road. Or waiting in the doctor's examining room. And dad, remember when you cut your finger so badly with a steak knife? It was when we lived in an apartment and my favorite thing to eat was the fat from the steak. I KNOW, disgusting!
But I have tender memories, too. Like when my dad dropped me off at daycare for the first time and left me for a grand total of about 3 hours (if that) because he couldn't bear the memory of my tears and asking him not to go. You probably had to take time off without pay that day, didn't you? Or when my mom came to tell me my Grandpa (Dad's father) died and I was just so overwhelmed that I started crying in the hallway of my friend's home and she just sat on the floor with me and put her arms around me.
I basically have 34 years of those kinds of memories- and funny ones too. And ones I'd rather forget. Like locking the keys in the car. Or learning to drive a 5-speed (on a hill). And the fake ID. Okay, enough memories. So, if I have all these great ones and I'm just the child, I imagine they have even greater ones, and more of them. What an encouragement to me and Rob as we are in our mere 13th year! So much to look forward to...
Love you Mom and Dad.
Sunday, June 11, 2006
The Church is the Bearer of Christ...
That is the meaning of our son's name: Kirk Christopher. This is our prayer for his life- simply, that he will be a bearer of Christ in all areas of his life. He is our baby and today he turns 4. I can so clearly remember the day he was born in Grand Rapids, MI, so it doesn't seem quite right that he is already this ripe old age!So, to my "baby"- the sunshine of our household.....
*You were our "surprise" when we found out about you. Your sister, Sophia, was 8 months old at the time.
*We (foolishly) scratched our heads and asked, "God, are you sure?"
*We told our realtor we needed a home with a space we could convert into another bedroom. He said, "Really? Why would you need....OH! Congratulations!"
*God graciously granted me a relatively easy pregnancy after the difficult one with Sophia.
*You stayed en utero for a whopping 38/almost 39 weeks- practically overdue! Sophia and Eli both came at 37 weeks.
*From the time of your birth, you have been a sweet, contented child who delights in your siblings.
*You are, without a doubt, the most affectionate child we know.
*You love to kiss my face. And my "other" face (both cheeks!). And my eyes. And my "topface" (forehead). And my nose.
*You tell me, "I pretty love you, Mom."
*Your belly-giggle is so infectious.
*Your brown eyes sparkle with excitement and love of your family.
*You love to snuggle in the early morning.
*You bring such immense joy to this house. You are the blessing we did not ask for and the one we could not imagine being without. My love for you overtakes me sometimes to the point I think I just cannot contain it. Your daddy and I pray that you will become a man who follows hard after Christ. And, when you "get a woman who will cook good things" for you (the sum total of important things in a wife right now!) that you will love her and point her to Christ.
We love you Kirky-doodle-doo. You're such a saucy fella!
