Living With--and Homeschooling--a Comedian

David, David, David...  He is energy.  He is laughter.  He is drama.  He is a treasure.

Since I am neither an extrovert nor a comedian, I find myself continually surprised by David; and usually, I end up laughing at his antics.  But sometimes all I can do is shake my head and wonder where he comes up with these things!

For example, at the beginning of our joint school time every day, we take turns saying something we're grateful for, which I record in our gratitude journal; then we each pray, thanking God for that item and also petitioning Him on behalf of someone.  Some people show up in our prayers every day--for example, a local 12-year-old boy named Sam who has leukemia, a guy from San Diego named Andy who is biking and running across the country to raise money for The Children's Inn at NIH, and Lizzy, the girl who was hit by a van in the road in front of our house on Labor Day.  On one particular day, Josiah prayed first and named a few things that he wanted God's special help for, including healing from his cold.  When David prayed next, he prayed for Sam, Andy, Lizzy, and Michael.  Michael?  Who's that?  Sure, we know lots of Michaels, but which one was David thinking of and why was he praying for him?  Josiah and I looked at each other and kind of shrugged our shoulders; but when David was done praying, we immediately asked him why he prayed for Michael.  "Well," he began with his trademark grin, "Josiah prayed for 'my cold,' so I did that, too!"  :)

I had never realized, until that moment that "Michael" and "my cold" really do sound so similar.  Of course, David knew all along what Josiah was talking about when he prayed for "my cold," but David also knew that he could get a laugh out of us by pretending to misunderstand.  I'm noticing that when David thinks he can get a laugh, he can hardly resist doing whatever it takes to bring forth that laugh.  :)

After we pray, we recite part of James together.  A couple years ago, we memorized the first chapter; but because it's been so long, we needed to review that chapter quite a bit before we go on to the next one.  This morning David did cartwheels in the middle of the living room the whole time he was reciting.  "My brethren, count it all joy..." and over he would go "...when you fall into various trials..." heels over head "...knowing that the testing of your faith..." another cartwheel "...produces patience!"

A week or so ago, David "preached" the whole passage, and boy, did he ever!  You might have thought he was a Southern Baptist preacher.  :)  He gestured and pointed--at me, mostly--and then he started switching the pronouns so that rather than hearing "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God," I heard "let her ask of God."  Accompanied by a vigorous finger pointing right at me, that command caught my attention, and I nearly dropped to the ground, yelling, "Yes, brother, I'll ask!  I'll ask!!"  :)

David finished the verse, "...and it will be given to him."  And then he smiled big and said, "Now let's sing a hymn.  La la la!"  :)

When he spoke of the "double-minded man, unstable in all his ways," he wobbled around the living room so much we couldn't help but determine in our hearts to avoid at all costs the terrible condition of being double-minded!

A few verses later, he quoted "So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits."  "And dresses," he added quickly.  Well, yes, I suppose a rich woman might fade away in her dress although I'd never thought of that before.  :)

Because of David, our Scripture recitation takes longer than it otherwise would; but it's filled with more smiles, more spunk, and honestly, more meaning.

Come to think of it, because of David, life is filled with more smiles, more spunk, and more meaning.  Thank You, God, for choosing him to be in our family!  :)

David's been keeping up with his daily jokes over at his own blog; in fact, we just recorded a few more videos today to use in the upcoming week.  Check it out if you want another taste of David's humor.  :)

Revising the "About" {A MUCH-Needed Update}

It came to my attention some time ago that my "About the Word Spiller" section was sorely in need of a rewrite.  Nearly two years have gone by since I wrote it; and needless to say, some pretty significant changes have happened in that time.  I finally got around to it, and then wondered why it took me so long to do it!  Isn't that the way it always go with procrastination projects?  :)

So it won't be lost forever, here is the way that section looked yesterday...

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If you and I were to meet somewhere and begin to exchange life stories, here is what I might say...

I was born and raised in the beautiful countryside of Virginia, youngest of four children, brought up in a loving, Godly family.  College took me away from home as I traveled north to Messiah College to study English before changing my major to music.  I went even further north one summer, to Camp of the Woods in upstate New York, to work on the music staff there.  The next direction I went was east, across the ocean and all the way to Israel; twice I went there during my college years, and the second time I was there, a certain young man named Jeff from California happened to be studying at the same school as I.  Jerusalem was a very romantic place to begin a relationship.  :)  Despite my lack of faith that the relationship could continue, Jeff pursued me and won my heart completely; after I finished my senior year of college, during which we endured a challenging long-distance relationship and engagement, we were married (oh, glorious day!) in my hometown, then set off for the west to begin our married life in San Diego.

That was our home for five and a half years.  That was where we learned how to relate as husband and wife, that was where we formed deep, life-long friendships, that was where we were asked to serve in the ministry, and that was where our first son Josiah was born.

Happily, our dream to return to Israel came true; and we said goodbye (so bittersweet!) to California and moved to Tel Aviv for the next two and a half years.  Near the end of that time, our second son David was born, which brings much delight to his soul as he proudly tells people, "I was born in Israel!"

The next move brought us here to Virginia, back to the home in which I was raised, back to where my parents are.  So far we've enjoyed more than six years of living right next door to my parents, and we've rejoiced to see our children run across our expansive lawn, dig in the dirt of our garden, hear the clucks of our hens and the crowing of our rooster, and best of all, have the privilege of knowing their maternal grandparents and seeing them everyday.  Since we've been here, two more sons have been added to our quiver, Tobin and Shav; and we've been blessed yet again with a child--this one, a girl!--due on April 7, 2012.

With such a history behind me and such a future to look forward to, is it any wonder that I'm convinced that my cup of blessings overflows?  :)

Let me introduce you to my boy band...

~ Josiah, 9 years old, is every bit the firstborn:  responsible, self-motivated, somewhat of a perfectionist, a protector who watches out for the needs of others...in addition, he's an avid reader who can often be found with his nose in a book...when he's not doing that, he might be figuring out math problems in his head or participating in sword fights with imaginary opponents (or real ones, when he can talk one of his brothers into fighting him!)...he sings in the Shenandoah Valley Children's Choir...his favorite color is purple...if he could live in any period of history, he just might choose the medieval period, based on his love of knights and armor and chivalry and fencing and battles fought by brave heroes...his passionate zeal and faithful commitment remind me of the man he was named after, King Josiah in the Bible

~ David, 6 years old, looks up to and imitates his big brother in many ways; but his own personality shines brightly...he's our actor, the one who entertains and makes us laugh; he loves to dress up in costumes and tell jokes...however, he finds it challenging to sit still...he surprised us by learning to read when he was four; most of his lessons were learned while he was hanging upside down off the couch!...these days, he devours Magic Tree House books nearly as quickly as we can get them from the library...he loves to play soccer and learn music in the Explorers class of the Shenandoah Valley Children's Choir...green is his favorite color...although he has developed the skill of being by himself and staying happily occupied during our afternoon quiet times, in general, he would much rather do anything with someone else than do his favorite thing by himself!...his name means "beloved," and he certainly is!

~ Tobin, 4 years old, gained a nickname when he was just a baby:  Tobin Bear...when I call him that, I think of what a cuddly teddy bear he is and how adorable I consider him to be!...Tobin is quick to tell anyone who will listen that his favorite color is yellow and what the name of his new sister is...with much excitement, he recently started doing "school," just like his big brothers; and he is always eager to do more pages in his preschool workbook...he's skilled at writing "T" and "o" which makes perfect sense, considering his name...certain consonants at the beginning of words are difficult for him to pronounce, so he omits them, turning "supper" into "upper" and "special" into "pecial"...he also has the cutest little country drawl and likes to turn one-syllable words into two:  "forks" becomes "fork-es" and "hill" is spoken as "he-ill"...Tobin means "God is good," and our sweet Tobin Bear is a wonderful reminder of that!

~ Shav, 2 years old, is the current baby of the family, but not for long!...with three big brothers to imitate, he is always learning something new and surprising us with a word or phrase or action...Shav loves to pray and is often heard chiming in after another member of the family has prayed for a meal...even more, he is thrilled to pray before bedtime, and he lies down flat, face-first, on his rug before launching into a lengthy, nearly unintelligible prayer...he thanks God for each family member quite a few times before I gently interrupt to tuck him in bed and say, "You can pray more in your crib, Shav!"...he tries hard to keep up with the big boys and chafes when he has to stay inside while they go out...he's particularly fond of farm animals and tractors and trucks and trains...his smile melts my heart..."Shav" is a Hebrew word that means "return, restore," and we pray that in God's timing, Shav will return to his true home in heaven and be restored to his rightful place as a citizen of that glorious land...meanwhile, we'll enjoy having him right here and thank God for the privilege of him being in our family!

~ Moriah, born April 9...more coming soon!

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Goodness, that's outdated!  Well, out with the old!  In with the new!  Here's how that section looks now.  The beginning is the same, so I didn't copy that; but here is where the changes begin...

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The next move brought us here to Virginia, back to the home in which I was raised, back to where my parents are.  So far we've enjoyed more than eight years of living right next door to my parents, and we've rejoiced to see our children run across our expansive lawn, dig in the dirt of our garden, hear the clucks of our hens and the crowing of our rooster, and best of all, have the privilege of knowing their maternal grandparents and seeing them everyday.  Since we've been here, three more children have been added to our quiver--Tobin, Shav, and Moriah--each one a precious blessing from God!

With such a history behind me and such a future to look forward to, is it any wonder that I'm convinced that my cup of blessings overflows?  :)

Let me introduce you to my children...

~ Josiah, 11 years old and in 6th grade, is every bit the firstborn:  responsible, self-motivated, somewhat of a perfectionist, a protector who watches out for the needs of others.  In addition, he's an avid reader who can often be found with his nose in a book.  When he's not doing that, he might be figuring out math problems in his head or participating in sword fights with imaginary opponents (or real ones, when he can talk one of his brothers into fighting him!).  He sings in the Shenandoah Valley Children's Choir and plays violin, including participating in a Junior Strings ensemble.  His favorite color is purple. If he could do anything in the future, he would like to either have an ostrich farm by the coast of Japan where he could eat white rice every day and count his ostrich chicks or explore the depths of the ocean.  His passionate zeal and faithful commitment remind me of the man he was named after, King Josiah in the Bible.

~ David, 8 years old and in 3rd grade, looks up to and imitates his big brother in many ways; but his own personality shines through as well.  He's our actor, the one who entertains and makes us laugh; he loves to dress up in costumes and tell jokes (such as the ones found here on David's own blog).  He takes gymnastics; and if you ever visit us, he'll probably show you how he flips in the air and lands on the couch, climbs door frames like a monkey, and does splits that will take your breath away.  David sings in the Shenandoah Valley Children's Choir and also plays violin.  Green is his favorite color.  Although he has developed the skill of being by himself and staying happily occupied during our afternoon quiet times, in general, he would much rather do anything with someone else than do his favorite thing by himself!  His name means "beloved," and he certainly is!

~ Tobin, 5 years old, gained a nickname when he was just a baby:  Tobin Bear.  When I call him that, I think of what a cuddly teddy bear he is and how adorable I consider him to be!  Tobin has always had a soft spot for animals; and if you ask him what he wants to be when he grows up, he'll probably exclaim, "A cowboy!!  Or maybe a vet."  He started doing a very relaxed form of kindergarten this year and loves it, often asking me if we can "do school."  He is quite the little leader with his younger brother Shav and they are nearly inseparable; but Tobin also loves to imitate his big brothers and do whatever they are doing, whether that be jumping on the trampoline, wrestling with Daddy, or playing computer games.  Tobin means "God is good," and our sweet Tobin Bear is a wonderful reminder of that!

~ Shav, 4 years old, is just 18 months younger than Tobin; and when people found out we were having two children so close together, they told me, "They'll be such good friends!"  And so they are.  It's nearly impossible to imagine Shav without Tobin or Tobin without Shav, and the hours they play together every day are mostly free from conflict.  Even though he's the youngest of four energetic boys, Shav does a great job of keeping up with his older brothers.  With a smile that melts hearts, he's quick to say that his favorite animal is a tiger, his favorite color is red, and he wants to be a cowboy when he grows up.  "Shav" is a Hebrew word that means "return, restore," and we pray that in God's timing, Shav will return to his true home in heaven and be restored to his rightful place as a citizen of that glorious land. Meanwhile, we'll enjoy having him right here and thank God for the privilege of him being in our family!

~ Moriah, 1 (and a half!) years old, is a ball of sunshine in our family.  Her birth in April of 2012 changed our family dynamic forever--and added a lot more pink to the laundry!  Her older brothers absolutely adore her; and often when I'm carrying her to her bed for a nap, one or more of them will come running, saying, "I want a hug!"  She learned to walk at 14 months and gets around like a champ, but she doesn't say many words yet.  She likes walking and trying to jump on the trampoline, dancing and spinning in a circle while we sing worship songs, playing chase and peek-a-boo with her brothers, having her knees tickled by her daddy, being held by her mommy, looking at board books in her crib, and snuggling with her favorite doll as she goes to sleep.  Moriah means "God is my teacher," and we pray that all the days of her life, she will be taught by the Lord!

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Much better!  Much, MUCH better!  Somebody please remind me not to let another two years go by before updating this again, OK?  :) 

Why I Smiled

I didn't smile today because I felt so wonderful, because truth be told, I didn't feel well at all.  This cold--or whatever it is--has lingered far longer than I wanted it to or thought it would; and just when I was starting to feel like maybe I had this thing mostly licked, it circled around and came back for round two, this time putting pressure on my left ear and scaring me with the thought of an ear infection (which hasn't developed quite yet...hopefully it won't).

Because I didn't feel well, I decided to adopt the philosophy of "if you don't feel well, at least look nice," so I dressed up a little more than I would on an ordinary Saturday.  But even my khaki skirt, white shirt, and pink sweater didn't exactly put a smile on my face.

I didn't smile because of all the household projects I got done because in reality, all I did was the bare minimum to keep my household going.  We wore clean clothes, we ate, we hugged, and that was about it.

What did make me smile, however, was the unexpected (and completely unintended, from Tobin's point of view) humor that lightened my spirits when he innocently wondered, as we were driving together to take David to gymnastics, how he would ever find a wife.  "Do you just go up to people and ask them, 'Are you married?', 'Are you married?', 'Are you married?'" he wanted to know.  :)  I stifled my laughter as I explained that no, that wasn't exactly how the process worked.  :)

I also smiled a few minutes later when David said, "I wish Moriah wasn't in our family."  He paused, then added what I suspected was coming, "Because then I could marry her!"  :)  He went on to extol some of her virtues and say how wonderful she is.  "Yeah," I agreed, "She's pretty special."  "She's pretty PRETTY!" was his quick retort.  And then he smiled over at me and said, "And so are you."  How could I not smile at that?  :)

The evening brought another smile to my face when Jeff treated us to some frozen yogurt at Sweet Bee.  The boys had finished their run-1000-laps-around-the-house chart, and this was the night to collect their long-anticipated prize.  If my memory is correct, the last time we were there together as a family was the night before Moriah was born.  As my gaze drifted around the circle of my family tonight, my heart rejoiced in the indescribable blessing of each one.

And I smiled.

She Thought She Wanted to Be in the Garden

She saw her daddy and a couple of big brothers out in the garden...

...and she wanted to be there with them.

So she walked out in it...

...then realized that no, she did NOT want to be in it.

"Won't someone rescue me?"

I had my camera in hand...

...and quickly snapped a few pictures...

...to remember...

...how cute she looked...

...how she tried to find comfort with her ol' suck-on-fingers-and-stick-other-fingers-up-nose trick...

...how her hair shone...

...how a splash of pink looks so good in our garden.

And then I picked her up and carried her out of the garden.

But probably by next year, those bare feet will rejoice to roam freely in the dirt of our garden.  :)

Remember When I Said We Each Memorized a Poem?

In this post from August, I mentioned how each of us chose a poem to memorize during this past summer. A few weeks ago, I recorded our efforts; and tonight I'm finally getting around to posting them.  :)

Shav memorized "Humpty Dumpty," a wonderful classic to begin his study of poetry with.  :) 

Tobin looked through a book of old Mother Goose poems and chose "Hector Protector"; I especially enjoyed his hand motions.  :)

David's choice was "I'm Nobody! Who are you?" by the one-and-only Emily Dickinson.

When I first brought up the subject of memorizing a poem, Josiah immediately chose "Jabberwocky" and memorized--and recited!--it very quickly.  My favorite line?  "The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!"  Cracks me up...  :)

And lastly, the poem I chose. I am extremely fond of this poem by John Donne; the meaning is SO rich and powerful.  But my boys told me I smiled too much as I was reciting it.  I was afraid of that.  *sigh*  ;-)  Next time I choose a poem to memorize and recite publicly, it'd better be something light and cheerful!  :)

Wordless Wednesday {Moriah on Her Half-Birthday}

He's Only 78 Days Early

Some time ago, the clock that we had on the mantel in our living room stopped working; but rather than replacing it immediately, we waited.  Even though my brain knew very well that the clock was gone, my eyes did wander innumerable times to the mantel when I wanted to know what time it was (habit is strong!), and each time was a reminder that we no longer had a clock there!

I didn't go on an all-out hunt for a new clock, but I was aware enough of our void to perk up when I saw a beautiful picture (on someone's blog, although whose it was I do not know) of a clock hanging from a wall in a kitchen, with the time visible on both sides.  I instantly knew that with the wall between our kitchen and living room, we had a perfect place for such a clock; and I emailed Jeff that night, showing him a picture and suggesting that he might want to get me something like that for Christmas.  :)  

By the way, we strongly believe that making one's spouse guess and mind-read about such things is something akin to torture, so we don't hesitate to let each other know what gifts would be appreciated; and I think we both breathe easier as holidays and birthdays approach, not having to fear that unmet expectations will creep in to cast a pall over the celebration.

But back to the clock...

A package arrived here today, but that's not terribly unusual, and I didn't give a second thought to what it might be as I set it on the counter to await Jeff's arrival.  He opened it pretty much as soon as he got home; and when he saw what it was, he said, "Well, there's no sense in THAT sitting around here in a box until Christmas!"  And with that, he took it out of the box and presented to me my first Christmas present of 2013.

After supper, he went right to work and got it hung for me.

I've only admired it about 529 times this evening!

It's just a clock, I know--simply an instrument to tell time, whether looking from the kitchen or from the living room.  But when I look at it, I see two other things.

I see beauty.

And I see love.  :)