Here are the things my friends on Facebook got to read during this past month (and this month, I'm including links to some articles I linked to on FB--mostly so that I'll be able to find them in the future if I want to read or refer to them again!)...
July 2 - A timely reminder to focus on what's truly important!
July 2 - Tobin, as I tucked him into bed tonight: "My best days are in heaven," - a pause, and then, "My second best days are in the summer."
July 3 - The best argument against abortion in cases of rape that I've ever read...
July 3 - Two moments of peace and beauty today that I don't want to forget... One occurred at dusk this evening, while I rode the exercise bike on our porch. I was hearing the sounds of shrieks of laughter from upstairs where David was entertaining Tobin and Shav; at the same time, I was watching Jeff tie up tomato plants in the garden, while beyond him were hundreds of fireflies twinkling in the neighbor's cornfield. Ah, serenity (despite my complaining muscles)! The other happened a little earlier than that: Moriah's nap schedule was tweaked today to accommodate some family activities, so when suppertime rolled around, she was still sleeping. I went into her room to get her up and paused to watch her sleep before softly saying her name. Her eyelids twitched in response but didn't open. Again, "Moriah." A bigger twitch, but nothing else. Two more times I called "Moriah!" in the sing-song voice I use for her. After the fourth time, her head turned towards me, and she automatically popped her two favorite fingers into her mouth. It still took a little bit longer for her to wake up enough to roll over and look up at me smiling down at her. And then I scooped her up and hugged her. It is a PRECIOUS thing to watch a child sleep...AND, as I discovered this evening, to watch one awake.
July 4 - *yawn* *stretch* Just woke up from a great nap after the Valley 4th RUN this morning. Boy, was I tired when we got home! Oh...wait...I wasn't the one running the race, so why did I feel so exhausted?? I guess cheering on Josiah in the 5K and David in the mile run was hard work. At any rate, I wasn't the only one who got sleepy because Shav curled up beside me on the couch and fell asleep, too. A cuddly nap with my youngest son is a wonderful way to spend part of the 4th!
July 7 - I know I live in the South, y'all, but even still, I am NOT used to a guy maybe half my age calling me "honey"! It wasn't a romantic thing, by any stretch of the imagination; I'm sure that's what he used to greet all the customers coming through the drive-through at Burger King like I was. But it did catch me off guard. Oh, well, all I can think to say is that classic Southern line: "Bless his heart!!"
July 7 - I happened to remember something that occurred earlier this week that made me laugh... I was shelling peas late one night after the kids were in bed. The house was quiet, the cool breeze was coming in the windows, and faithful Jed was sleeping on the floor by my feet...which also happened to be close to the bucket into which I was tossing pea pods, but I was careful to make sure the pods got into the bucket and not onto Jed. I grabbed a pod however, opened it up, and out shot a pea, quicker than I could grab it. It flew through the air and landed on the side of Jed's face. He shot up and looked around as if to ask, "What in the world just hit me?" Then he got an offended look on his face and trotted a few yards away before settling down again, the length of the kitchen table between him and me. I guess he figured he was safer there.
July 8 - I'm listening to my boys, who are supposed to be eating their lunch, discuss what heaven's going to be like. One of them, who shall remain nameless, just said, "We're going to be in bathrobes WITHOUT UNDERWEAR!" *peals of laughter* Where do they get these ideas from anyway??
July 8 - I used to think that successfully setting up or taking down a playpen required at least four arms, or maybe five--one to simultaneously unlock each of the sides and one to pull up the strap at the bottom, in the case of taking down a playpen. But I'm happy to announce that after 11 years of parenting, I almost always require only one try to get it done right. I think I'll add a line to my resume: "Pretty good at setting up playpens." Impressive, eh?
July 8 - Shav made us laugh at supper tonight. We had black olives (along with our main food of quesadillas); and when there were a few left in the bowl, David wondered if he could eat all the rest. From my place at the stove where I was still making quesadillas, I looked around the table and asked whether everyone had gotten some already...and if so, did they want more before David finished them. When I asked Shav whether he had gotten any yet, he shook his head "no"; but as we looked closer at him, we noticed that he had HUGE chipmunk cheeks. What else could have made those other than the black olives (they were jumbo size)? When we started laughing, he couldn't help but smile; and as he did, his lips parted and two gigantic olives rolled out. Aha! Caught ya, you little stinker! Numbers 32:23 says, "Be sure your sin will find you out." It sure did.
July 9 - About a week or so ago, David was sitting at the table eating when suddenly-- "No dental floss!" he shouted. (Can you guess what was going on?) He worked at something for a little while and did not want me to intervene at all. And then he exclaimed, "IT'S OUT!!" (Do you have it figured out yet?) It was his tooth--his 5th loose tooth. It had been wiggly for a while; but that day when he bit down on some food, it got REALLY loose. I offered to help (the dental floss around the tooth and then give a good yank trick is my favorite modus operandi), but he would have none of it. He was quite proud of his tooth when it came out and often looked at the window sill where I put it to make sure it was still there. I knew he was excited about it; but I didn't realize just how much that tooth meant to him until he asked a while later in a concerned voice, "If we had a house fire, would it devour my tooth?" Losing a tooth is a BIG DEAL!
July 10 - Not for the first time did I thank God today for a violin teacher who is patient and compassionate. In lessons today, she had the dubious pleasure of listening to one of my sons perform what must surely have been his worst ever rendition of Gavotte by Gossec; and then, when the other son was playing Gavotte in G Minor by Bach, he started weeping! I looked up and, lo and behold, tears were rolling down his face! But he kept playing, all the way to the end, despite his tears. Well, seeing that, there was no way I could keep from letting a few tears roll down my face, too! Wouldn't want him to cry alone, you know. Goodness, what a lesson! And through it all, kind Megan (of Tiller Strings) sat there calmly and patiently. I'm very grateful for her!!
July 10 - What is true love? I'll tell you. It's when a man pulls ticks off his dog at 11:00 at night--not so much because he loves his dog, but because he loves his wife, and she has a hard (read: impossible) time getting them off by herself!
July 10 - Related to my previous status update: if you find a tick on your dog, you will immediately feel hundreds of them (ticks, not dogs) crawling all over yourself. You will be compelled to do one of two things: take a shower at once and spend an extra long time shampooing your scalp, or ask your spouse numerous times to examine bumps on your back/neck/head/etc. that you never noticed before but now you're suddenly convinced that they're ticks!
July 11 - The boys are playing in the living room for a few minutes before we start afternoon quiet time, and Tobin and Shav were getting ready to do something together when David rode by on a bike. "We're going to play Jump Over a Pillow!" Tobin shouted. "And you play by jumping over a pillow!" Shav added. David's response: "Oh. Well, the name sort of explains that." *cue laughter*
July 11 - Wise words I need to remember... "Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
July 11 - It was a dark and stormy night, and the Fishers went to Dairy Queen. Why did we go there? Because shortly after we finished school this spring, we decided to give our boys a physical fitness challenge to combat summer boredom: if they biked 1,000 laps (up and down our driveway), we would take them out for ice cream. We also did the same kind of challenge for running laps around the house: do 1,000, and we'll go get ice cream. This morning Josiah counted the tally marks on the chart on the side of our refrigerator and discovered that they had done 965 biking laps--so close to 1,000! He headed outside to do 20 laps and David did 15, and they were done!! Well, Jeff and I had to keep our end of the bargain, so after they all got in their pajamas tonight, we loaded up in the Big White Van and went through the drive-through for ice cream at Dairy Queen (their choice). It was such a cozy feeling to come home through the rain, tummies full of a sweet treat, pajamas already on, knowing that we have a warm, dry home to return to and soft beds in which to sleep. Most of all, knowing that we have each other...and together, we make a good team.
July 15 - Conversation with David just now, as I carried Moriah up to bed after she and David spent most of afternoon quiet time playing together...
D: Do you think we'll ever have another baby?Me: Well, I'd like to! But I don't know if God will give us one or not.D: Which do you want it to be: a boy or a girl?Me: I really don't have a preference; either one would be wonderful!D: I won't be offended if you say "girl."
Me (deciding to change the subject slightly, knowing that no matter how many times I say "it doesn't matter to me," David will still press me for an answer!): Which would you like to have?
D: A boy!
Me: Why?
D: I don't want to have to love another girl. I want to focus all my love on one girl!
Moriah is BLESSED to have such a brother who wants to focus all his love on her.
July 16 - As I was helping Shav get his pajamas on just now, he started wiggling his fingers as if to tickle me, but then he stopped, knowing that tickling Mommy is a big no-no. He tilted his head a little and asked, "Why don't you like tickling?" "I just don't," was my profound answer. "Some people do, and some people don't." He then explained to me that he likes to be tickled by me and by Daddy, because "you tickle me when you love me." Aha! I love getting these little insights into how the minds of my sons work! Note to self: tickle Shav more.
July 18 - In 1 Kings 19, Elijah is bemoaning the fact that the Israelites had forsaken God and had actually gone so far as to kill the prophets, the people who had been especially devoted to God. "I am the only one left," he wails to God, "and now they are trying to kill me, too." Among the other words God uses to comfort/challenge him, He says this: "Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel--all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him." This morning I'm thanking God for those in this time and place who continue to be faithful to Him and whose knees have not bowed to the Baals of this day and age!
July 18 - You know what's great about having a three-year-old in the house? He's awestruck when he asks me to count to 30 and I can actually do it! His "you can count really good, Mom!" compliment to me as we sat together on the swing this evening while he sucked on his pineapple popsicle made me smile big.
July 19 - Somebody here in our house is turning four tomorrow, and that same somebody has been counting down the days until his birthday with great anticipation. "I'm so egg-ited (excited) about my birf-day!" he's exclaimed numerous times during the past several weeks. Tonight I was admonishing him to stay in his bed and go to sleep so that the night would seem to go fast and his birthday would be here, and he grinned and said, "Maybe God will make it go as fast as a motorcycle or race car!!" Oh, my sweet Shav, these four years we've been given with you seem to me like they've gone by as fast as a motorcycle or race car! Shav's delight tonight about his upcoming birthday was offset by Tobin's tears. He sobbed (loudly, in true Tobin fashion) and when asked why he was crying, he replied, "Because I'll never see him 3 again!" And then quickly added (because he knew my first response would be to say that we have pictures to remember the three-year-old Shav by), "Outside of the camera!" I can tend to be a little nostalgic, too, (understatement perhaps?) and feel like I'm going to dearly miss the three-year-old boy we've enjoyed during this past year, but you know what? I have a feeling the four-year-old Shav will be even better.
July 22 - While the eyes of the world are watching the gate of Buckingham Palace for the news of the birth of William and Kate's baby, my own heart is beating fast in anticipation of the news of another birth: sweet Analora, granddaughter of my friend Sheryl! I can hardly wait to hear the good news and see a picture of that beloved, long-awaited little girl! Today I'm reminded that each baby, whether royalty or not, is PRECIOUS in the eyes of God who made them all!
July 22 - I might not have many people in this world who consider me to be funny, but I know a certain 15-month-old who thinks I'm hilarious. I'm pretty talented at making HER laugh, if I do say so myself. This afternoon, all it took to crack her up was getting down on the floor with her, sticking my tongue out, waiting for her to reach out and touch it, and then jerking it back in while saying "ah!" It made her laugh every time. H-I-L-A-R-I-O-U-S, I tell ya!
July 22 - I was shampooing Tobin's hair in the bathtub just now, and I mentioned to him that his hair was getting long and that maybe when he goes out for breakfast with Daddy the next time, he'll get a haircut. He said, "I want it short...just like David's!" Not to be outdone, Shav piped up to say that he wanted a haircut, too; and then he gave specific instructions: "I want it short...just like Grandpa's!" If you know my dad, you know you can't get much shorter than that.
July 26 - If you're traveling west of Harrisonburg on 33 today and want to make some sweet little boys happy, stop by our lemonade/cookie stand and check out what we've got for sale! You'll make their day: guaranteed! Proceeds go towards Josiah's upcoming trips with the Shenandoah Valley Children's Choir! (And while you're at it, check out our Old Order Mennonite neighbor's produce wagon - they've got great, FRESH stuff!)
July 26 - I love to laugh! This link helped me do it... :)
July 26 - You know what warmed my heart today? Two teenage guys who pulled up in their pick-up truck, got out, and came over to our stand, dollar bill in hand, for two cups of cold lemonade. I don't know them, and they didn't buy anything from our neighbor's produce stand (where most of our customers have come from). But God bless 'em for coming by and encouraging my boys (and me!). It made me wonder whether those two young men had ever been little boys sitting at their own lemonade stand, wondering whether anyone would ever come and buy something!!
July 27 - This is actually something that Jeff posted on his FB, but I'm including it here because it makes me laugh. :) So, my buddy ol' pal Christopher Myers and his wife Misty Myers decided to head north for the weekend and asked us to watch the dog. Well, I said, if she does not mind sleeping in the fenced pasture with our other two dogs that will be fine. Settled...so I thought. Then came the barking, barking, barking at 10pm. That does not make for friendly neighbors says Davene Fisher and so we brought one of my dogs and "Honey" inside...because our dog would be crazy jealous if we just brought in the Myer's dog. So, they are in... and immediate jealous rivalry begins... so, we decide our dog must go outside after all....Jed goes up... no barking...problem solved...not quite. We have gates on our steps for the kids... and Jed never goes up or down the steps... we like it that way... but as I ascend the steps, what do we hear? Whining.... honey is quite a spoiled mutt and decides that she must be where we are and ends up sleeping in our room! (Something I have not allowed any animal to during the whole course of my marriage!) Hmmm... so 6am comes and I put Honey in the pasture again... a little barking happens, but I figure...its day now.... off to work I go... til now, I hear that Honey escaped....in the rain...begged to get in the neighbors house (Old Order Mennonites)... Wilma calls, "Do you know anything about this friendly dog?" So... poor Davene, in her pajamas, tending to feverish Moriah, must go over and collect sopping wet and dirt Honey to bring back into our house! Chris.....you owe me big time!
To this I left the following comment: Two clarifications: Honey jumped up onto my side of the bed two times. And I did change out of my pajamas before I went over to get Honey.
Two days later I posted this photo and comment on Chris's timeline (this is the Chris, by the way, who left the little "gift" on our doorstep on the 4th of July): Thanks SO much...ahem...for giving us the "privilege"...cough, cough...of taking care of this beauty for you this weekend! #nexttimeasksomeoneelse Seriously though, she is a VERY sweet dog. Might be good to have a Boundaries 101 lesson with her though.
July 29 - This morning the phone rang and I answered it, then handed the phone to Josiah while saying, "It's your stockbroker." "Hi, Dad!" he said into the phone. And then I heard him say, "Really???" A pause and then, "Yeah, sell it!!" They talked for a minute or two longer; and then before Josiah hung up, he said, "Thanks, Dad, for helping me. I couldn't have done it without you. I love you!" He raced up the stairs to where I was and whooped, "My stock doubled!! That was my goal all along!" Would someone please remind me how old he is? 11, you say? Are you sure he's really that old, or did he suddenly grow up by a decade the last time I blinked? It's for real though: Josiah had bought some stock (real money, real stock), and it did indeed double. Now he has $198 to figure out what to do with. So far the plan, which has been much discussed since that phone call, involves using $100 to invest again, $20 to give to God, $18 to give to his Shenandoah Valley Children's Choir trip fund, and $60 to spend. David, whose future occupation might well be Personal Shopper because of his penchant for helping people spend their money, is suggesting that Josiah might want to buy a Lord of the Rings LEGO set. What actually happens with that money remains to be seen.
July 29 - Last evening Josiah was reading some posts on my blog from several years ago, and he noticed that I referred to the Myers-Briggs personality test. Of course he wanted to do it, so I found a free online version of it for him, and he took it. And then David wanted to take it, too, so he did. I realize that, at only 11 and 8 years of age respectively, their personalities are still developing, so I expect their results may change somewhat in the future. However, as of last night, one of my boys was INTJ and one was ESFP - complete opposites. Wanna guess which one was which? ;-)
I have enjoyed reading all of your "doings" and summer time notes. What a precious family you have. " I love what Tobin said on July 2... so precious... I agree with him.
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