Tough crowd

I was out on a walk with Calvin today. Out of the blue, he asked me, "Dad, you got a job yet?" I said, no, not yet. "You need to get a job dad!"

No slacking for me in this family.

The Things They Say

Teddy has two favorite words these days, and both have to do with dirty diapers.

At the kitchen counter yesterday afternoon, the boys were going back and forth with this sort of talk:

Calvin: You're a poopy pants, Teddy.

Teddy: Poopy pants.

Calvin: No, you're a poopy pants, Teddy.

Teddy: Poopy pants.

At that point, Ken and I intervened:

Kim: Boys, that's enough. No calling eachother poopy names.

Ken: That's right boys. We don't need any more talk about poopy.

Brief silence.

Teddy, with a big grin: Pee pee.

~~~

Have you hugged your pastor this month?

Do you know that October is pastor appreciation month? I want to encourage every reader to send their pastor a note of encouragement this month. You would be amazed at how much a note of appreciation out of the blue encourages a weary pastor's soul.

Any pastors reading this blog, THANK YOU and keep on persevering men!

Milestone

We've reached a new milestone in the Schmidt family: Calvin can now ride his tricycle for family walks. I took him on such a walk this afternoon.

As we started out, he said, "I would like to have some conversation while we're on this walk." My, oh my. How could I say no to that?

I asked what he wanted to talk about.

Nemo and Marlin and Dory and Brucie.

~~~

Calvin is the winner!

Ken has the week off from school. With no work today either, and being the most wonderful daddy in the world, he chose to have special one-on-one time with each of the boys.

This morning, Daddy and Calvin headed off to the "Semi-marry" (as Calvin says) to go swimming. They came back grinning. It must have been fun. Meanwhile, Teddy was Mommy's special helper at the grocery store.

This evening, Ken took Teddy out for a Krispie Kreme treat. Teddy came home still licking his lips. Ken made some great memories with the boys today, for sure.

While Teddy was having his special Daddy time, Calvin and I played games! Calvin crushed me, 3-0 in CandyLand, and 3-0 in cards. And it's all fair and square; I don't just let him win.

I'm crying like a little girl.

Calvin wanted to post his winnings on the blog; he chose the title for this entry as well.

One cute Calvinism of the day: He ran into the kitchen this afternoon and said, "Momma, I just learned a new word: cornucopia!"

~~~

Sweet Sacrifices

I was blessed last week to attend once again a Pendergraph Women's Ministry event. Mrs. Jani Ortlund, author of Fearlessly Feminine and His Loving Law, Our Lasting Legacy, spoke to us about "Sweet Sacrifices: The Challenge of a Woman in Ministry."

Her message was challenging, encouraging, and packed with fresh insights from God's word and from Mrs. Ortlund's life experiences.

She talked about risking your reputation, refining your romance, and relishing your redemption.

After she spoke, we were all invited to Mrs. Mohler's home for dessert. I caught up with many friends while we all oohed and aahed over Dr. Mohler's library. Another special night filled with fun and great fellowship!

~~~

Good Sportsmanship

I taught Calvin a card game a couple weeks ago. It's "Hit The Deck," minus the action cards. Essentially, it's matching colors and numbers and learning to take turns. Oh, and be a good sport and congratulate the winner.

Tonight, I won the first game and Calvin won the second. As we began the third round, Calvin said, "You have a chance to win now. And if I win," he said, a big grin spreading across his face, "you're gonna cry like a little girl."

Obviously, he's learned from his Daddy how to talk smack.

~~~