The great wink

Nothing in life is certain. Except one thing. We will one day wink out of this existence and into another. I took time this morning to really think about that. What will it be like? Does the thought scare me? Terrify me? Or bring me peace?
My assurance of where I stand with God brings me peace. But mostly I was reminded how fleeting life really is. All the daily interruptions that consume us- houses, finances, jobs, weather, sports, needs, food, all of it doesn't matter much in the light of an existence that in an instant will change. Our economy of living very often does not reflect the very truth that everything passes away except the soul.
It makes me question, "What are you doing today, Alyssa, to invest in your own soul and those around you or is today all about worldly things?"

The Abishai

Chris: "I need a four year old girl. Is there a four year old girl around here?"

Anibel: "I am one of those! Me!"

Chris: "Awesome. Ok, I need a two year old little boy. Is there one of those?"

Abishai: "No"

Chris: "Well, then what are you?"

Abishai: "The Abishai."

Awesome.

Well said.

The Macky Mac

If anyone knows who or what the macky mack is and how to kill it please let me know...

It began innocently a few weeks ago. Anibel referred to some friends of ours as the macky mac. We all laughed. Big mistake.

Her brother has since jumped on board the Macky mac train. According to the two youngest I make "macky dinners," play at "macky parks," and drive in the "macky mac blue van." Ezzie is also known as "the macky muff" or the "macky mac muffin". Their most favorite game is to run squeeling through the house yelling, "macky mac macky mac macky mac!"

Apparently, tomorrow night we are going to do the "macky mac" all the way to Lindy's house and have dinner with the Lowes...

I repeat. If anyone knows who or what the macky mac is or from whence it came, please let me know so I can go about exterminating it in the cleanest and quickest fashion.

Days and ways

Here are my favorite things about my days:
- getting time alone with my husband before the kids wake up ( if I wake up that is)

-watching the kids play gas station with their Strider bikes

-Abishai's pronunciation of "whoop-de-doos"; more like "oooop de DOOOOOOOOS!"

-Ezzie's smiles

-Anibel: "First I am going to brush my teeth so they don't fall out, then I am going to do my hair with first a barrette and then a headband and a hat on top of it all cause if I get good at doing my hair Mom and Dad will let me cut Abs hair..."

-Waking up to my husband reading his bible and making me coffee :)

-That my kids are finally starting to play off by themselves at parks or in the yard without me having to be there.

-The way Abs licks his lips and inserts a finger in the mouth when he is uncertain about something.

-Watching Abs eat. Always the enthusiast. And when he is done he says, "Don't like it" which comes out "ike it!" even if he just devoured his entire plate. He learned that phrase from his sister....

- Anibel hopping and dancing around the room just to make Ezzie laugh. And Ezzie just lovin' it.

-That Anibel is a "mom" to Nia her baby doll and puts old rags in her diapers cause they are just like the cloth diapers mom uses.

- That Mom is currently Ezzie's 'happy place!' Especially when she is hungry...

-"I love you Abs." "Thank you (Dink u) mom."

-The way Ezzie's butt gets stuck in the bumbo and Anibel helps me pull it off when I am pulling her out of it.

-"Band practice" in the Erickson household.