So, Jacob comes home from school today and walks down the stairs to where I am sitting at the computer. I give him a big hug and we talk a little about his day. He turns around and starts to walk up the stairs to get his homework and he breaks out into song..."I like big butts and I cannot lie..."

After I got up off of the floor, I asked him (calmly - I know you don't believe me), "Jacob, where did you hear that song?" He thinks a minute..."I don't know. Maybe at Grandma's?"

Thank you to my PIT DT friends who helped me figure out tonight that it was in the movie Shrek that Jacob and Abby watched on TV last night...clearly a lapse in judgement on my part. Revoke my parenting license now.

And thank you to Sir-Mix-Alot for the classic song "Baby Got Back." Where would our society be today if not for quality lyrics like those??

I'm around - just not a whole lot to say. At least, not a whole lot good. This last week was rough. Lots of work issues that I didn't want to have to face - lots to think about. None of it pleasant, really. Thus, blog silence.

One highlight of the week, however, was joining Adam for a GCC staff outing up to meet Rob Bell at his church, Mars Hill (near G.R.). Fascinating. I really enjoyed what he had to say - almost all of it deeply thought-provoking. We had two hours with him, and I went in thinking that he'd have something prepared to share with us. Maybe something he'd been told would be appropriate for our group, or whatever. Nope. He walks in the room, sits down on the stool and says, "So, what do you want to talk about?" Silence. I'm pretty sure most of us were just stunned speechless. We had two hours to ask him any question we wanted - nothing off limits. He told us about his new books that will be coming out (that are still in the formation stage), what he does with his free time, what his schedule looks like, what he thinks about hell, missions, how he runs his church, things he's learned, where he grew up, etc. Definitely worth the trip up there, as well as the broken-down bus on the way back. Ever seen 76 people pile into one tour bus? It's an interesting site...trust me.

Another highlight was a trip to Ikea on Saturday. I love Ikea. I could spend A LOT of money there. If I had any. Instead, we spent someone else's money - which is almost better, except I don't get to keep all the stuff! ;) So, there's my week for you - a lot of bad, some good, and some other stuff. So far, this week's looking a lot better!

Abby has a loose tooth. She's not even five. And I don't just mean a little wiggly - it's legitimately loose. It could easily be pulled out right now. But that won't happen because Adam's not home, and I don't do teeth. It's in the contract. Sure, I'll brush them, but anything more serious than that and I'm out. Since when do preschoolers lose teeth??!?

Our own little Evil Knievel

Here we are, only 23 days from first taking the training wheels off, and it's already begun. I have a boy. Where did he even get the idea to try this?? I marvel at how boys are just born...boys. Tyler McMullen recently reminded me of this (and Jacob was the same as a toddler) when he picked up one of Jacob's matchbox cars and that noise just came out of him. You know the one. The motor noise - the one that they don't have to be taught. The one that even adult girls can't make - and we look like idiots for even trying - it just doesn't sound the same! I understand the mechanics behind it, but my mouth simply cannot make that sound. Same with riding a bike. No one showed Jacob how to do this trick. He may have seen a little neighbor boy doing it, or maybe not. But that boy didn't come over and say, "Ok, Jacob, when you build up just enough speed to maintain momentum, take your feet and put them on the middle bar, remembering to balance and keep your eyes on the road..." It's outstanding - the nature of it. And despite the fact that I'm envisioning his front tire catching on a small rock, the bike flipping, and his precious head cracking on the concrete, I can't help but smile at how God made my boy just that - every bit a BOY.

A Milestone

Tomorrow my nearly 5-year-old daughter is going to have her very first haircut. We didn't set out to go 5 years without a haircut. It just kind of happened. Now, on the eve of this "major" event in our lives, I find myself thinking not about her gorgeous, flowing, ringlet-bouncing, golden locks, but about how my baby is growing up. And tomorrow she'll look it.

Our Trick-Or-Treaters - Jacob (Spiderman), Allison (Snow White), Abby (Ariel), Tyler (spider baby), and Rachel ("Cinderelli"). They're cold, wet and on a serious sugar buzz...

Halloween Jack-O-Lanterns (the one on the left is a ghost that's saying "BOO!")

Let's set the record straight...

This is my dog, Murphy:

Not to be confused with the now feared and despised baby-maulers that are now housed at the Humane Society:

Scary, huh? But do not fear - our Murphy is incapable of such violence. Sure, he'll chase you around the house and try to pull your pants off...but that's about as far as it goes. Does this look the face of someone who could do harm??

So if you happen to run into my dog somewhere...say in our neighborhood, or at the grocery store, please refrain from shooting him on the spot. He's innocent. At least, that's what he wants us to believe...