Not Your Ordinary Hat Box

Does anyone know what this is? You might guess that it's a toilet, in light of the fact that there is toilet paper next to it. But did you know that it's actually called a "Hat Box" Toilet? Well it is, and apparently, this is the new, and very stylish, thing in plumbing.

So, why do I have a picture of this toilet? Because I'm an ordinary person, accustomed to ordinary things, and my experience with this little gem of a toilet was a little, well, out of the ordinary.

I recently had the privilege of attending the beautiful wedding of an old friend from my childhood church. The reception, which was held in the bride's parents' elegant mansion, was in itself something to blog about. But for now, I'll stick to the toilet.

Just before a delicious dinner was served, I excused myself to visit the ladies room. When the time came to flush, I habitually reached for the usual flusher handle. You will notice in the picture, however, that there is no tank on the back of this toilet, and therefore no usual flusher. Hmmm.

At first I thought it might be motion-censored. But after standing there staring at it for a few seconds, I realized it wasn't.

"Maybe you lower the lid," I thought. No, that didn't work.

"Is there a peddle?" No, there wasn't.

"Well, how on earth do you flush this thing?" I thought, half panicked as my mind flashed to the embarrassing thought of having to stick my head out the door and announce to the person in line behind me that I didn't know how to flush the toilet.

And then I saw it. A little, quarter-sized button on the left side. I touched my finger to it, and Voila! It flushed! Phew...embarrassing moment averted. But, really, they should post instructions for that thing, don't you think?

Maybe you are more cultured than I am and would have known how it worked. But if you are an ordinary person like me, accustomed to ordinary things, now you have a head's up. If and when you are faced with a "Hat Box," you will know just what to do with it!

It's All In Your Perspective

Recently our family gathered together to celebrate my mother-in-law's birthday. Amongst the delicious dinner fare was a great salad with all kinds of yummy goodies in it, including grapes. Once we had filled our plates and were chatting and settling down into our chairs to eat, one voice rang out over the rest.

My nephew, Jake, who's four years old, yelled, "Hey, why is there salad in my grapes?"

Argentina

Today is a big day for us. In just a couple of hours the boys and I will be taking Derek to the airport so he can catch his flight to Argentina. He is going with a team from our church to do some mission work in Buenos Aires. It's a wonderful opportunity, and hopefully a great experience, to partner with the many teams our church sends into Argentina to evangelize and start new churches. I look forward to hearing about all the people he gets to meet and the work he gets to do.

But...

I'm a little nervous about him being gone for a whole week. Now I know a week is really pretty short in the grand scheme of things, but to a pregnant woman with 2 little kids, I'm afraid it might feel a little like an eternity! I do have lots planned, though, so hopefully we'll have a fun week too.

After we drop Derek off at the airport, we're heading over to my mom and step-dad's house to spend the weekend with them. Cole is SUPER excited about going to see Nan and Grandpa. I am too, for that matter. I know we'll have a great time visiting with them.

Then we'll come home for a couple of things I've got scheduled for the beginning of the week...my mom's group, a girl's movie night, and, of course, the routine "boring" parts of life like cleaning a grocery shopping. On Wednesday we'll head over to my in-law's house and spend a couple of days with them. Again, Cole is SUPER excited about this trip too.

On Saturday, we'll wake up crazy early so we can be at the airport to pick-up Derek, who gets in at 6:15am. Yikes! Now, I'm not a morning person AT ALL, but I suspect I won't have any trouble hopping out of bed and getting the boys loaded in the van this time. I will be so happy to see Derek and hear all about his trip. And, of course, he better get his ears ready, because we'll be worded up and ready to tell him all about our week, too!


Lord, please protect Derek and the team as they travel to Argentina to do your work. May many people be born into Your kingdom through their efforts. Help them also find those who believe already and connect them with other believers so that they might meet together and encourage one another. Let them accomplish much for Your purpose and glory and return them safely to us next week.

And for us who remain, let us be diligent to pray and to work Your purposes here, remembering that You are working all the time, everywhere, even in the small and humble life of my family. Give me patience and strength to parent these boys in a way that would please You. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Aisle 6

The other day we all went to the grocery store to pick up a few things for family night. After we'd gathered almost everything, I said, "Alright, all we need now is juice."

Cole promptly replied, "Oh, we need to go to aisle 6."

Really? Aisle 6? Sure enough, there was the juice on aisle 6.

I wonder what else he has stored up in the little brain of his?

Max's 13 1/2 month stats

For the first time in my parenting history (ok, it isn't that long of a history, but still) I dropped the ball* and forgot to schedule Max's 1 year check-up. And since our doctor books up quickly, the soonest I could get in was this week making Max's 12 month check-up come at 13 1/2 months instead. Thankfully, he's a healthy boy and seems to be growing and developing very well.

Weight: 24 lbs, 75th percentile
Height: 32 3/4 inches, 97th percentile

Here is some of what our little guy likes:

Favorite foods: Paper, followed closely by cardboard. Oh wait, that's not food. Ok, then cheese and grapes (cut up, of course)
Favorite game: "Mr. McGreggor & Peter" (Chase)
Favorite book: Counting Colors
Favorite toys: Mommy's cooking spoons, balls
Loves: Music & dancing, playing outside, pulling things out of Mommy's bathroom drawer while she's trying to get ready in the morning, reading books
Dislikes: Diaper changes, wearing shoes, coming inside after playing outside, waiting for a meal
Vocabulary: Still won't say "Mama" or "Dada" but has a nice little repertoire of words and is adding more everyday: Ball, Dog, Spoon, Balloon, Uh-oh, All done, Stuck, Banana, Book. Sometimes he'll combine a couple of his words into a little mini sentence..."Ball stuck," for example.

Max is a fun-loving little guy. He is very independent and likes to explore any new drawer, cabinet or box he's let into. He thinks his big brother is pretty cool, but sometimes finds torturing him by hitting to be more fun than playing nicely. He loves to look at books and is a great little communicator, even with his limited vocabulary. He understands a ton of what we say to him and will follow simple commands like "Put your cup on the table" or "Put that paper back in the trash." Most of the time Cole thinks Max is a great little play-mate, and I look forward to seeing their friendship grow through the years. He's a joy and a blessing, and we are so thankful for our sweet little Max!


*Let it be said that I am not claiming this to be my first parenting mistake ever, just the first one in regards to scheduling an appointment. Needless to say, there have been plenty of other mistakes!!

Quote of the Day

"You're the best girl ever, Mommy!"

-Cole, while getting dressed this morning

The Unexpected

You never know what you'll find in the everyday flow of life. Sometimes it's pretty, like a rainbow in the sky. Sometimes it's sweet, like a son giving you a freshly picked flower. Sometimes it sad, like the news of a tragedy. Sometimes it's gross, like spit-up on your shoulder. And sometimes it's funny, like a baby in the dishwasher.