Justin-isms

One Saturday morning Justin was full of energy at 6:45am. Derek and I were playing paper, rock, scissors to see who was going to get up with him. After playing in bed with us, Justin told us he would be right back - he wanted a waffle. So he went downstairs, got the waffle out of the freezer, climbed up the bar stool to the counter, put his waffle in the toaster oven, and cooked himself a waffle. Now I of course went downstairs to get the hot waffle out for him so he wouldn't burn his fingers. Do you think I am a lazy parent or something? But it did ring possibilities in the future of an older, independent boy who could fix his own breakfast.


The other day I was driving in the car and asked Justin if I had told him that I loved him that day. He told me no. So I told him I loved him. And his reply was, "I love you, too, mommy."


We went to Fuddruckers with our Sunday School class recently when our outdoor picnic got rained out. We had all the kids sitting at a table together, and a large group went to go potty. I literally blinked and Justin was gone. I realized he had followed the group to go potty. So we went potty with everyone, and then immediately he demanded a new diaper since his was a wet. Nice - maybe peer pressure will potty train him for me.


Justin loves to impersonate a tiger roar. But lately, the tiger is not always our friend. Justin has his first fear, if you will. Random times of the day he will shut the door of whatever room we are in so that "the tiger won't get us". I keep explaining that the tiger lives at the zoo, not in Justin's house. We even made sure he wasn't under his bed before nap one day.


Justin was throwing a fit one day because he wanted to eat lunch in front of the TV. That is something we never do, much less we don't watch anywhere near lunchtime. So he starts throwing a fit, and I walk off to get a Diet Coke while telling him that I will not listen to that behavior. It gets quiet, and then all of a sudden he runs into the laundry room saying he was sorry and that he didn't want a spanking. I guess he thought I was going for one of the locations of the many wooden spoons located throughout the door frames in our house.


Lately we have been playing a game (more like when mommy is feeling playful) where we get out the little spoons he used when he was a baby to eat applesauce. He barely open his mouth as I spoon feed him little bites of applesauce. We laugh as we call them baby bites.


Justin says "pack-pack" instead of backpack. It is hard to explain the difference since B sounds like P when I am showing him how to say it.


Justin all of a sudden started saying "yes ma'am" to me after I ask him to do something. I haven't really started insisting that he does this, probably because I care more about first-time obedience right now versus manners towards your elders. I then realized that he is not saying yes ma'am but "yes, man" instead.


I leave with a quote from Living Proof:

"Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Grab life by the mane. Set God-sized goals. Pursue God-ordained passions. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention. Keep asking questions. Keep making mistakes. Keep seeking God. Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Stop repeating the past and start creating the future. Stop playing it safe and start taking risks. Expand your horizons. Accumulate experiences. Consider the lilies. Enjoy the journey. Find every excuse you can to celebrate everything you can. Live like today is the first day and last day of your life. Don't let what's wrong with you keep you from worshipping what's right with God. Burn sinful bridges. Blaze a new trail. Criticize by creating. Worry less about what people think and more about what God thinks. Don't try to be who you're not. Be yourself. Laugh at yourself. Quit holding out. Quit holding back. Quit running away. Chase the lion."

- Mark Batterson

I'm off to chase the lion....