Fireworks

Jordan and Chris flew in on Wednesday and left this afternoon.  It's been a fun few days.  Quality time spent with the oldest and her husband...something we don't get much of as they live in Phoenix and jobs and such get in the way of more visits.

We went to our church, Faithbridge's big event for fireworks.  It was impressive and organized and free.  I have to admit I'm not really into fireworks and the whole getting there, waiting, waiting, waiting, and then boom, it's over.  But this was fun.  Probably because I had my girls with me and there was a breeze.  And there was....

waiting with a band...

waiting with lots of ice cream... 

waiting with a cute people wearing red, white and blue...

waiting while event staff handed out freebies...

 waiting with a beautiful sky at sunset...

waiting while not climbing a rock wall...

waiting in chairs...

 waiting with my girls...

waiting with popcorn... 

waiting with snow cones...

waiting to ride charter buses that took us to and from provided
parking lots so we didn't have to fight traffic...

 wating and eating hot dogs, chips, watermelon...

waiting and drinking lots of water and looking at the bouncy stuff for the kids...

waiting and listening to patriotic music...

waiting with time for photo ops...

and finally the  fireworks...

and when the fireworks were over, the best light in the sky all night.

Then we took our sweaty selves home and got our pj's on.  Jordan and Chris had some bonding time with Harry.  He's never met a stranger he doesn't like.  In fact, he enjoys jumping up on and licking strangers.  He doesn't understand why we yell at him about this. He's just so dang happy to see anybody.
I mean, look at him.  He only met Chris that afternoon and has only been around Jordan one other time.  We should all love like dogs love. 

Next time I see you...I may just jump on you and lick you.

Hope your 4th was fun!

Affirming Words

After my post yesterday, Chuck and Jordan took the test and gave me the results.  They both scored highest in Words of Affirmation for their Love Language.  Gosh, I wish I would have known this 28 years ago....I could have been a little more vocal about my love for them. 

Instead I was cleaning and cooking....showing them my love. 

Still not sure about the other two kids...but I feel confident that they don't

receive love with Acts of Service....

while I'm the poster child for that Love Language.

Today is my day off and I have been washing bedding and

 working in the back yard in preparation for a visit from Jordan and Chris. 

While the laundry is going, I have been in and out of the backyard

...cleaning off the porch, trimming the crepe myrtles, moving a potted plant. 

 I was feeling very productive until I accidently

 set the pot down too close to the edge of the spa. 

Yep.  It went in.

  And down fast. 

 I got in and pulled it out as fast as I could

 but the damage was done.  To the clean spa anyway. 

I think the plant loved it. 

So knowing my husband feels love with Words of Affirmation, I sent him this email:

You are the best husband.

Now you might want to take off early tomorrow afternoon because I was moving a plant and it fell in the spa.  I retrieved it but there is a lot of dirt in the spa now.

You are so handsome. 

Love you, Julia


His reply:

Go to the back of the garage and open the spa timer box.  Remove the pins on the timer wheel that turn on and off the spa motor.  Do not let the spa motor come on.  It it is on, push the silver lever to off.

Well, he does know I love Acts of Service

....so I copied this email and took it outside to do what he said. 

Not what I had planned for the afternoon...

I was going to do a little floating

 but instead did some skimming.

On another subject...Harry is calming down a lot. 

 But I take that back in case it jinxes anything. 

 He is the most lovable, affectionate dog ever. 

The only time he does any damage is when we leave. 

 We're calling it an anxiety disorder. 

 The drill around here when we leave is to make sure nothing

...and I mean nothing...is left out. 

 Well, of course the patio furniture is left out. 

Our reaction?  Just let him chew it...we'll look in to

 buying some wrought iron furniture next year. 

 We are going to make the best grandparents!

  Spoiled like my own children never were.

He's always very sorry for any damage caused. 

But then he's back to playing and even sometimes chewing on legal items.

Happy 4th of July Week! 

May you have a safe week!

5 Love Languages

I wish I had read The 5 Love Languages by Dr. Gary Chapman a lot earlier in the game of marriage and raising children.  Have you heard of this book?  If not, it's a self-help book for relationships... Chapman's theory that there are 5 different languages in which we show love and receive love.  Finding out your love language but more importantly your spouse's/child's love language can help relationships immensely.

The 5 Love Languages are:

Words of Affirmation....you need praise and compliments to feel loved...or you give praise and compliments to show your love.

Quality Time....you need to spend a lot of time with your significant other to feel loved...or wanting to be with them all of the time is how you show your love.

Receiving Gifts...you love receiving gifts or you're a gift giver.

Acts of Service....I love you when I see you folding the towels!  Or let me help you clean up...because I LOVE YOU so much~!

Physical Touch...touching, hand holding....uh....this one needs no explanation.


You can go to this site and take a test to find out your primary love language.  I already knew mine, but I took the test again just to see what it would say and BINGO!  Mine is ACTS OF SERVICE. 
Both showing love and receiving love.  I'm sure Chuck's is Physical Touch.  I suspect most males fall in this category.

Way before I heard of this book, I knew I felt a huge surge of love for Chuck whenever he just got up and helped me with a chore, a child's bath, a run to the grocery store.  And I knew he needed all of that physical stuff to feel loved by me.  We had 2400 square feet in our first house and he had to sit right up against me while watching t.v. And if I hugged him when he got home, he took that to mean he was going to be one lucky guy that evening.  Physical Touch....the category I scored lowest in...ha.

I need to study up on my children's languages.  If I had to guess, I'm off a little on them.  I know I show my love to them through Acts of Service.  Like cleaning their apartment that they just moved out of.  But perhaps they receive love by Words of Affirmation.. "Like wow...this apartment is really not that dirty" instead of "oh, my gosh....this place is filthy!  When is the last time you cleaned it?"  Which then sends me in to over time on Acts of Service (scrubbing, cleaning, vacuuming, mopping, loading up the last few things left around the place and hauling it to the car....). 

When all they really wanted from us was to hang curtains in the new place.  But we had to go to the old place to spackle the holes left from taking the curtains down and get the ladder that was left there. And you know, I couldn't leave the place until it was completely empty and spotless.  Thought I was doing someone a huge favor...showering them with my love.  Don't you feel the love?  Can't you tell I love you more than life when I'm cleaning your toilet?  And sticking my hand down the dirty sink disposal is like my love to the inth degree.

But you see, it's just as important to know how they RECEIVE it as it is to know how you SHOW it. Because if they aren't the same, well then.....you know......moods sour.  And by the time you haul all of those last loads to the new place, the curtains aren't going to get hung because....you know....no one has eaten, people are tired, moods are knee high to a grasshopper.


I love my children.  And am ordering this book tomorrow.  Or maybe this one.


Or maybe it's not about our love language at all.  Maybe it's just downright stubbornness.  And once the child is too big to spank or put in time out...it gets messy.

The trouble with having a stubbornness contest with your kids is that they have your stubbornness gene. ~Robert Brault

On another note, we went to a fun wedding yesterday.  Took a turn in the photo booth.  Spent a lot of time choosing our props.  Then no time reading the directions.  When the screen says Cheese...you should be still and posing and looking up at the camera...apparently.  We never quite got it.

Then a couple of turns with my friends.  Props and poses...