Favorite moments of this Mother's Day

Ali saying "Happy M-o-m Day!" ...

Jonah rolling from tummy to back, amidst cheers from Ali, Jair, and J.D. ...

J.D. giggling as we dashed to the van in the rain ...

J.D. and Jair praising their "weally stwong daddy" when he put the minivan in neutral and pushed it out of its parking space so he could jump the battery ...

Ali and Jair proudly presenting the cards they made in Sunday school ... Ali drew a picture of her mother in pigtails. Jair dictated this message: "I watch the movie Cars. I like it that you don't make me clean up sometimes. Love, Jair"

We're Back!

After seven months offline, we have Internet access at home again. Dave Ramsey's The Total Money Makeover and a variety of circumstances compelled us to retrace our steps last year. We sold our home and moved back to the townhouse we lived in at the beginning of our marriage. In our new/old place, we decided not to subscribe to cable or DSL and returned to a life without the Internet (in our own home, anyway). Now our church secretary is retiring, and I will be maintaining the church website in her stead. My payment? High-speed Internet.

I am apprehensive about returning to cyberspace. Life without screens is as refreshing as a spring breeze gusting through an open window. You can stick your head out into the real world and just drink in the freshness of it all. The death of our camera in April 2007 and the death of our TV this March made our home literally screen-less during the day (except for the teeny-tiny screen on my cell phone) until Jeremy came home in the evenings with his laptop. A couple times a week, I'd get on the laptop to answer emails (via Outlook Express) and read a few blogs (via RSS). At my parent's house, I posted on Meatball Minutes now and then. To keep up with the news, I read World magazine or asked Jeremy, "Anything going on in the world that I should know about?" If I needed some information, I'd look it up in a reference book or the Yellow Pages or maybe even call a real live person. And with four children in the house, I promise you I was never, ever bored.

On the other hand, I am thankful for the opportunity to share the adventures of those four children with people who love them. I may not have been posting meatball minutes, but they certainly didn't stop providing them! Here are a few funny conversations I scribbled on my refrigerator's magnetic notepad so I'd remember to share them with you.

Julie: Here are some carrots for you to snack on while I finish dinner.
Ali & Jair: No, we don't want carrots.
Julie: But don't you remember what's in carrots that's good for you?
J.D.: Chocwet!!! [chocolate]

Ali: Mommy, can I please tape this candy wrapper to Jair's bed?
Julie: Why do you want to do that?
Ali: To make it look elegant and romantically fancy.

Jair: Daddy is the tallest man. [FYI - Jeremy is six feet tall, and we know several taller men.]
Julie: Have you ever seen anyone taller than Daddy?
Jair: Well, there is one.
Julie: Who is that?
Jair: GOD ... oh, and Goliath, too.

Ali: Mommy, you have to come look at this store paper. Why are they selling feet?
Julie: [looking at the ad] Oh, those aren't feet. That's a whole chicken.
Ali: Well, it's a pretty ugly chicken.