Deep Thoughts from Noah #32

Noah: "But, why do I have to have fruit before I can have dessert?  Last night Dad let me eat ice cream and I never ate fruit."
Me: "Hmm...really?"
Steve: "Noah, are you telling on me?"
Noah: "Well, it's for your own good."

Musings from Natalie #53

Natalie: "Mom, do you grow blueberries?"
Me: "Yes.  They are a plant."
Natalie: "Then how do you get macaroni?"

Natalie: "Mom, how many days will I be alive?"
Me: "Hopefully more than I can count."

Natalie: "I'm so glad I chose you to be my mom."
Me: (Speechless)

Musings From Natalie #52

Natalie: "Mom, can I play on the iPad?"
Me: "No. Go play and use that great imagination of yours."
Natalie: "I can't because I already deleted it."

Catch and Release the Joy

Friday night as I glanced at the clock, I groaned because I realized that I'd done nothing to prepare for our early morning fishing venture with my dear friend, Barb and her posse of four.

"Don't worry, Andrea.  You don't need to pack a bag. The derby starts at eight, but the kids are not going to last...we'll be out of there by 8:20 a.m.-- tops!" Steve assured me.

Yet at 6:30 a.m Natalie (who had climbed into our bed at 2 a.m. with whoas of bad dreams) woke up with a start and shook my shoulder to announce,"Mama!  We've got to get up early. Today is a special day!"

As I scurried around the house making sure everyone was fed, dressed and ready for our 7 a.m. departure, Steve got the poles and other fishing paraphenalia organized and packed into the trunk.  We arrived at the park to find our friends already there.  Per usual, her kids took extra care in dressing themselves.  Her two oldest girls decked out in matching rainbow-striped hats to go with their colorful ensembles and open toed footwear.  While her younger two had each carefully selected fish-themed tops to wear for their first fishing derby.  Mine...well...as I noticed later, were all dressed in orange.

While Barb headed to the registration table, I hung back with the kids. As Steve threaded hooks, Natalie prattled on excitedly.  Although she had never participated in a derby before, listening to her talk to the other kids, you'd think she were a pro already.  It's true, Steve has been taking her fishing since she was a toddler, but I think her confidence and love for the sport comes from Steve's own enthusiasm and approach to teaching.  Over the years he's learned that the secret to keeping kids interested in fishing is:

 #1 Catch Fish - If kids aren't catching fish they are going to get bored real quick. Make sure to take them to places that you know have been recently stocked.

#2 Keep It Short n'Sweet - Kids in general have a very short attention span.  Select a location that is close to home because oftentimes a 30 minute fishing session is all they can handle.

#3 Don't Sweat the Small Stuff - Scolding for improper technique will turn kids off to fishing in record time.  Instead, focus on their progress and praise them for it.  For example, a child who casts without help or baits his own hook for the first time.  In the beginning, it's all about getting and keeping them interested in the sport.

By 7:45 a.m. all three girls had poles in the water.  They chose a spot just a few feet from where we first arrived and as Steve eyed the dense vegetation, he agreed that it was as good of a place as any to fish. Within minutes Natalie was squealing, "I got one! I got one!"  And, it was a nice one.  A catfish nearly a foot long.  Unfortunately, she caught it at 7:53 a.m. and seven minutes before the official start so it wouldn't count.  A few more minutes ticked by and more squeals could be heard from the bank, this time from Lindsay, Barb's seven year old.  She caught herself a little bluegill just three minutes shy of the 8 a.m. start. But the news didn't dampen their spirits, on the contrary, it only served to fuel the fire. As soon as Steve was able to get the fish off their lines, they were ready to rebait their hooks.

They had the fever.

In the first 14 minutes of the derby, Natalie caught three fish.  And, just as Steve tossed the last one back into the water, Megan, Barb's oldest, began hollering, "I got one!"

It was 8:16 a.m.

I almost felt bad for the scorekeepers who had chosen to monitor our group.  They were seasoned derby volunteers and had brought with them comfy, outdoor chairs, but with our group of anglers, their rumps had little use for them. Just as they finished recording a measurement for one girl's catch another girl was excitedly reeling in her next one.

I cursed myself for not placing a bet with Steve earlier.

8:20 a.m....HA!

Hmmm...snips and snails and catfish tails...sometimes it's what little girls are made of!

As the morning progressed, I observed how Steve quizzed the girls on the type of fish they had caught and gently encouraged them to try casting on their own. By 10 a.m. when we heard the call signaling the end of the derby, all three girls were baiting, casting, and even removing the icky, black vegetation that often tangled their lines, without any help from Steve.

The derby may have been over, but the girls weren't all that anxious to quit.  Their enthusiasm was infectious and drew the attention of Barb's five year old twins, Jenna and Carter, who then decided they were ready to fish, too.  As the officials collected the score sheets and began tallying them, the girls chattered on about their catches.

"I can't believe it.  I caught firteen!" squealed Natalie.

More than 60 kids registered for Des Peres Park's 10th Annual Youth Fishing Derby so it took 40 minutes for the final scores to be counted, but the kids never complained.  In the end Megan won the "total length award" for the 10-12 age group with 104 inches while Natalie swept it for her division with 107.50 inches and Lindsay made a decent show with 42 inches.  And, while the two girls each received tackle boxes filled with lots of fishing gear, I feel the real prize did not come from anything that could be purchased in a sporting goods store. The true reward came in the form of budding confidence, comaraderie and joy the three girls found in fishing that day.

The girls chattered on excitedly as Steve threaded their hooks.

"I wanna catch a clownfish," said Natalie.

Natalie was happy to smile for the camera.

Lindsay should have been awarded extra points for style. 

The girls kept the scorekeepers busy.

Hot diggity dog. She's a pro at baiting her own hook.

Weed control

Megan and Natalie stand together as the judges tally up the scores.

Upon hearing her name, Natalie wasted no time collecting her award..

Megan and Natalie show off their winnings.

"Sweet mama!" she cried as she gazed at her prize.

Musings From Natalie #51

Convo with Natalie after VBS camp:
Natalie: "Mom, my camp counselor is a teenage boy...just like last summer."
Me: "ummhmm."
Natalie: "I can't remember his name so I decided to call him Smokey Pants...he said that was ok."
(Dear God: I'm going to need more than one village for this one.)

Musings From Natalie #50

Convo with Natalie as we head into the building for her first day of vacation bible school camp:
Natalie: "Mom, do you think everyone is nervous today?  Because I have caterpillars in my stomach that are getting ready to turn into butterflies."
Me: "I'm sure everyone is a little nervous and excited.  You are going to have a GREAT time!"
Natalie: "What do they do there?...give you foot massages?"
Me: "Foot massages?  Where did you get that idea?"
Natalie: "You said it's called vee-cation camp."
(Sigh...I think I need one.)

11 Years...Steel in Love

Unlike my daughter, my dramatic play as child was always pretty routine. Dress Barbie, do her hair, then "da da da da" down my make-believe church aisle and ta da! She and Ken are married and it's happily ever after.  Time to watch a little Sesame Street, jump rope or grab my hula hoop.  Getting married was always part of my childhood play and my lifetime plan, but I never dreamed how much work it would take or the depths I would go to hold it together.  I was 28 when I met Steve.  At the time we were both seasoned players of "the dating game".  Steve had actually already been down the aisle twice before, but when he asked for my hand, he told me that I made him want to be a better man.  He promised to always take care of me and love me in the way I deserved.  I was smitten by his rugged good looks and jar-head mentality to not only protect me, but treat me with respect and kindness. Loving him has always felt safe and good and the right thing to do.

In 11 years we've had more financial snafus, ER visits and emotional stress than I ever thought I was capable of handling.  However, I believe Steve's unwavering faith in God has strengthened and fortified my own.  Through lots of drier than dirt humor, Steve has helped me find the courage to laugh when I just wanted to lay down and cry.  He's helped me learn to not sweat the small stuff. Over the years I've watched him make good on his promise to do his best to take care of our family.  No matter the cost.  Whether by working overtime, going back to school, beginning a new career, or even participating in medical research to better our family's financial standing.  Several years ago, when we were in the throes of dealing with Noah's health concerns and struggling to make ends meet, Steve began looking for creative ways to earn more money -- and FAST.  He signed up to participate in a research study in exchange for cash.  The assignment required an overnight stay at the facility and involved more than 20 blood draws in a 24 hour period.  When he returned home both of his arms were riddled with bruises.  I gasped in horror, but Steve wasn't the least bit bothered by the event.  A little blood-letting was nothing to my former Marine, who years earlier, had spent time on the front lines.  Later that week Steve found an ad from another lab doing diabetic research.  They were prepared to pay participants $100k in exchange for allowing them to amputate one pinky toe.  

"Can you imagine what we could do with $100k?" Steve suggested.

"It's totally out of the question!" I replied.

"But, it's just one toe...I have nine more," he reasoned.

"No."

(He's now talking to himself because I've gone into the kitchen, but I can still hear him yammering on)

"I wonder if they'd give me $200k if I let them take BOTH little toes...then I wouldn't need to buy two different sized shoes," he continued.

For weeks, Steve found ways to squeeze the topic of "this little piggy went wee wee all the way to the research lab" into our conversations.  Thankfully, God gave us both the gift of bull-headedness and I was able to outlast and out-debate his outlandish scheme to get us out of debt.

11 Years!  Google tells me that the traditional gift is steel...and I believe it.  I just don't plan on buying or receiving cutlery, jewelry or a kitchen appliance as an anniversary gift.  This year...11 years, represents having nerves of steel and the strength, love and commitment needed to carry on for 11 more and beyond.

Happy Anniversary Steve...my very own Man of Steel!