Hand-Me-Downs

We have been the lucky recipients of some fabulous hand-me-downs. When a box from cousin Micah comes full of clothes for Sam, he can't wait to see what's inside. A striped shirt? Rubber boots? A bucket hat? If I'm having trouble getting him to decide on something to wear in the morning, I can tell him, "How about this shirt? This used to be Christian's!" and he'll snap to attention and say, "Really? OK."

When Sam outgrows the clothes, they go in a crate marked with their size and wait in a closet for Levi. It's fun to tell Sam, "Look, you used to wear this shirt!" It's even more fun when we have a picture of him in a particular shirt that Levi now fits into.

Hand-me-downs are great. Cousins and friends lived life in these clothes and were thoughtful enough to pass them along to us. To me they are reminders of our loved ones. I'm sure at some point Sam will refuse to wear hand-me-downs, but for now he thinks they're pretty cool, too.

I have to admit, my favorite hand-me-downs have been those for Nate. I saved a handful of my favorite things from Sam and Levi's babyhoods. But since he was a winter baby and the other two were born in warmer months, we needed a few things. Some contributions from new friends in the neighborhood, and these meant a lot because of what they represented: physical proof of new friendships.

But a whole lot of other items were given by my friend Megan. Meg was my best friend in high school, but we also attended elementary school together. She was my maid-of-honor, and as adults we have found ourselves living in the same city, 6 hours from where we grew up. She now has 3 boys as well, her youngest is about 8 months older than Nate.

So last November, when I went out to breakfast with Meg and another childhood friend, Brenda, she gave me 3 large bags full of baby boy clothes.

Now, Brenda, who I went to preschool with and who was also a best friend and a bridesmaid in my wedding and also moved to the area after college, is pregnant with her first. She is due in June with a boy. So when I saw her today, I gave her the first bag of Nate's hand-me-downs.

If you had told us in high school that our children would share clothing, we would have laughed at you. It's so good to have life-long friends.

And now, just for fun, can you tell who's who?

Nate is on the top, Sam in on the bottom!

And another...

Sam's on the top, Levi on the bottom.

Nurturing

"...our sons in their youth will be like well-nurtured plants..."

Psalm 144:12

Things in the Godzwa household are still a little chaotic. They would be in yours too, if you hadn't done any sort of filing or organizing since before Christmas, and you had 2 little munchkins running around the house disorganizing things every day since then. I'm still in my "fourth trimester", those 3 months post-partum when baby is not exactly on a schedule and mom's body is still adjusting from the experience of pregnancy and childbirth, so I'm giving myself a break.

A friend gave me a framed piece of artwork that contains the above verse. I was thinking about it today, and it's true. Although our home is a bit of a mess right now, my sons are well-nurtured. They are all well-fed (yes, even Levi!), clothed, and loved. They are growing, healthy, and sweet as can be (most of the time).

But my plants... well, let's just say they can't compare. I decided last spring to add a few plants to my living room to soften things up, and bravely chose something other than philodendron (the only houseplant I've been able to keep alive for any length of time). My problem is that I water my plants when they look like they need it... yeah, that's usually when it's too late. I had been doing well, though - only one of five bit the dust about two months ago.

But now that I have another human mouth to feed (and bathe, and put to sleep...), my plants have been neglected a few too many times. I'm glad they don't have feelings, or they'd all end up in counseling! We'll see how long they can hold out.

On a different note, Levi and Sam are both sporting war wounds this week. (Are they really being well-nurtured, you ask?) Levi took a tumble down some concrete steps when we were on campus this past weekend. He literally did a summersalt and planted his face! Oh, his tears and my panic! But within two minutes he was fine and so was I.

And Sam had a toussle with his friend who was over yesterday. There was something about them both wanting to play with the guitar and whose turn it was, and then suddenly Sam's cheek was bleeding. This happened within the first 10 minutes of the playdate! But for the next 3 hours the boys played happily together.

But their wounds make me feel oddly proud - I have boys! They are sweet and wonderful, but they also have tons of energy which I sometimes despise, only because I am sleep deprived and don't have a back yard to send them to. A friend asked me the other day if I've come to terms with having 3 boys. The truth is, I don't know what it's like to have a child who wants to do crafts, sit and read books or put together puzzles. Sure, my kids will do these things, but only when I initiate it, and not for very long. Usually I am trying to keep them from jumping on the couch or "playing the drums" too loudly.

And now, just for fun, a few more pictures:

Sam can't stop saying, "Nate is soooo cute!"

My little mischief-maker

The littlest man, 9 weeks old

Misunderstandings

As I mentioned in a previous entry, Sam has entered a whole new stage of understanding and logic, and it has made for some great conversations between us. It also makes for frequent misunderstandings.

For example, the other day Sam was doing something that he would soon need my help with. I knew Levi and Nate would be waking up from their naps momentarily, so in an effort to hurry Sam along I told him, "in a few moments I'm going to be occupied with two babies. Are you ready for my help yet?"

A few minutes later, as predicted, Levi woke up. I was in the middle of changing his diaper when Sam called in from another room, "Mommy, what's an octopi?"

"It is more than one octopus. Where did you hear it used?"

"You said you would be octopi with two babies."

Last week we were all in the car when I saw lights from emergency vehicles ahead. I mentioned it to Sam, thinking he would be interested in seeing police and firemen at work. As we got closer, I said, "I think there has been an accident." Sam responded, "Was it a pee pee accident?"

Then there are the larger issues, the life lessons that are so hard to comprehend. In school, Sam's class is learning about counting. They have been learning nubers up to 100 and practice counting as a class. So out of the blue the other day he asked me, "What is the last number?" I had no idea what he meant, but after talking about it a bit ("Is it 10? Is the last number 100? I think it is.") I explained that there is no last number, but that you could go on counting forever. This was unsatisfactory. Ah, the beginning of wrestling with the concept of eternity.

And speaking of eternity, there is that whole thing about death which he asks very pointed questions about since our fish, Yellow Fred was found belly-up. He has asked what happens when you die, and we've explained that if you are a friend of Jesus you will go to heaven. So the other day he said, "If you got eaten by a bear and died, how would you get to heaven? Would someone have to cut open the bear?" Good question. Do I really want to introduce him to the concept of a spirit vs. body, which I know will bring with it a whole slew of more hard questions? Whew, it's like Pandora's box!

Along a similar vein, we've talked a lot about how God makes each person. With Nate's arrival we've also talked about how a baby grows inside a mommy's tummy until it is born. So his question was, "How did God get inside your tummy to make me?"

Probably most 4 year olds ask similar questions, but I have to admit that his curiosity and effort to understand these grown-up concepts make me proud. I am challenged by it, yet I find the effort it takes me to answer his questions in ways that are helpful to him is a fantastic way to exercize my brain, which sometimes feels like it has lain dormant inside my head for the past few years.

Godzwa Look-alike Meter

Just having a little fun after the kiddos are in bed. I should be there myself!

These are from Myheritage.com. Upload your picture to the "morph" section and it'll tell you what celebrities you look like. Mike and I had a good laugh doing ours!

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Free family tree - Family pictures

Godzwa Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebrities - Collage - Morph

Godzwa Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celeb - Collage - Morph