"Norbal"

First off, thanks Kory, Lora, and Moriah for your input on my last entry. When Jeff came home today he told me that with all my rambling, it was hard to decipher what I was trying to say. After a debate between us, he said that it was difficult to find that simplicity in my post. Basically, I want my kids to know that if they aren't the best at something, if they don't feel like they need to be part of something that I want them to be, I want them to feel free to tell me. I don't want them to always do what they think I expect them to do. I want them to be able to open up--I need to constantly remember how hard it was to be a kid, and try to have empathy and sympathy as they express themselves. I want to have an honest, loving relationship with each of them, and let them know that I understand that though they are siblings, they are so different, and I encourage and accept that.

As for respect, no, I didn't mean for it to be a political debate. My Bush comment was just that..mine. I want Riley and Cole and this new one to know that they are their own person. And if someone threatens that, they have the right to defend themselves, no matter who it is. (Like that old man at McDonald's in the kid area that yells at them because they are being too loud...sometimes you just gotta say, "Hey, notice that this is an area for Children. If you have sensitive ears, I suggest you go out and eat with the big kids"). I want them to be kind, but to always know they set their boundaries. They never have to prove themselves to me, because I love them and accept them wholly. With other people, that's a different story, and they'll learn that as they grow. They'll learn all this stuff as they grow. Like Kory said, I stress daily about it, too, but I really feel that my children are kind and thoughtful, and that really tells me that things are at least going in the right direction.

Anyway, I just wanted to clear that stuff up. As usual, I was more wordy than I intended to be, but I just wanted to emphasize that my last post wasn't an angry rant. I'm sure I'll have some down the road, but that one wasn't. The end on all that, I promise.

Secondly, Leah, I was so glad to hear from you! I'd love to hear how you're doing and such...but I couldn't get into your blog. It kept kicking me back to the google homepage, so maybe if you read this, you can let me know what I'm doing wrong. And if part of your blog title is Babylars...does that mean you've had one? I'm SO intrigued.

Okay, so about my title of this post. Norbal is the word that Cole uses for Normal. I find it quite amusing, and it's hard for me to correct him on this. He really insists that if he picks out a shirt or some pants that they look "Norbal". If I try some new food dish, and offer him some, it never fails: "Mom, I just want Norbal mac and cheese", or "I don't think that smells Norbal. I need to frow it away, Mom." And off he'll go...wasting something that's perfectly fine, because he questions it's normal-ness. Even though I laugh, I have been trying to tell him that not everything is normal. And normal is different for each of us. I told him yesterday that some people eat bugs dipped in Chocolate, because he was having a fit about the only thing that can be dipped in chocolate is peanut butter. Otherwise, it's just not normal. He first was upset that I wasn't being honest, so he had to use our family's equivalent of the safety sentence--we have to be honest, no joking at all, when someone asks, "Is that the truth"? After telling him yes, he was devastated and nauseous and told me he had to "go frow up", as he ran to the bathroom. I really think that school is going to be a much-needed experience for him. But I stress, as well. He'll be that kid that comes home and asks me questions about all the things he hears during the day...and every question will be punctuated with, "Is that the truth?" In some ways, this scares me more than anything. Not that I have to tell the truth, just trying to find the right words to explain things. It sounds like a relatively easy task; to answer children's questions in a way that's truthful and able to be understood, but it's not. They look at you, and the answers provided always lead to more questions...and they just keep getting harder. So if someone has all the go-to answers, please help those of us that don't, out. So, because it's super late, and I have to GO WALKING tomorrow, (Gotta motivate myself, you know), I decided I would end this post with a hand drawn portrait of our very "Norbal" family. Cole drew it, and told me that because this is something that he's good at, he wanted to make a picture of our family, "like dad does". We decided to put it on our fridge, instead of on the wall, like Jeff's pictures, but that doesn't mean it's any less special, it just means that he likes to continually "touch-up" his artwork. He likes to examine it every now and then, take it down, and make additions or scenery or whatnot. So Jeff and I had to take a picture to ensure that we had his simple masterpiece, in addition to what the final version will look like. Cole named each and every one of us, and word for word, this is what he said. And THAT, my friends, is the truth.