Turning 5!

Today is our second child’s fifth birthday. Nevin was born on this day 5 years ago partly because it was fall break from seminary for my husband. Nevin’s delivery was induced to keep his size more manageable after big brother weighed in at 9 lbs., 3 oz. So I had some say in when he arrived. The plan was successful, and Nevin weighed in at a much more comfortable 7 lbs., 3 oz. Five years later, one would never guess that he started out 2 pounds lighter than his brother. He is a very solid little boy. He has always had sort of a linebacker look about him. Yet he is a sweet and loving child. Sometimes I get concerned about him feeling lost in the shuffle between a very outgoing older brother and a very self-confident little sister. Nevin is a bit more hesitant about things. But in the last year, he has really come into himself. He enjoys his friends at school and church. He loves playing with his siblings. And, he doesn’t cry about being left at school like he did for the entire first semester of pre-school last year. However, he is still the one of our three children who expresses the most concern when Mark and I leave them with someone else. He always wants reassurance that we will be back. He always tells us how much he missed us when we return. Overall, he seems pretty balanced. We praise God for Nevin and his very meaningful presence in our family’s life.

We headed south to the Dallas area for a presbytery meeting for Mark on Friday. We stayed until yesterday afternoon and celebrated Nevin’s birthday with grandparents and Mark’s brother and sister-in-law. The party was held at Jay’s and Tricia’s house. Tricia and Mark’s mom spent a good bit of time decorating their dining room on Friday, so the setting was quite festive. Mark’s mom also made the SUV cake, and it turned out beautifully (as practically everything Mom sets her hands to does). It was a lot of fun to see the cousins playing together and celebrating a birthday together. This is the first time this has ever been possible, so it was a nice treat. Nevin was quite surprised by all of the fuss. So, Mom and Tricia, I think it was worth it! I can’t thank them enough for making it a such a nice day for Nevin. He is the kind of child who expresses his gratefulness, and he did so often yesterday. He also enjoyed the presents, which he waited for with not-so-much patience. Our three children have enjoyed playing with all the new toys since coming back home last night. But the new lego set has to be dubbed the favorite.

We attended a community lunch today (fundraiser for the local 4-H). Nevin told everyone we met it was his birthday. He also told several of his school friends who we saw there about his great birthday party in Texas. He had a great birthday, and I think we will hear about it for months to come.

The Little Boss

Yesterday, Evangeline told Nevin to do something. I don’t remember what it was. But the conversation that ensued was quite telling about Evangeline’s self-image. After hearing Evangeline’s command, Nevin replied, “You’re not the boss. Mommy’s the boss.”

Evangeline said, “But I’m the little boss.”

Well, as busy as my life is, I took some time out today to take Calvin and Nevin to see our local high school girls’ softball team play for the state championship. The Minco Lady Bulldogs made it to the final game, but, sadly, they lost by 1 point to Healton, OK. It was a close game. We left in the 9th inning, when it was tied 2-2. They didn’t end up in overtime, but the 3rd point was scored in the eleventh hour. The main reason we went to see the game was to support one of the star players who goes to our church. She has also babysat for us, so the boys know her pretty well. It was pretty exciting for the girls to be playing in the championship, and, while no one wants to be #2, it is still an accomplishment for which to be proud. Calvin was disappointed that they lost. He wants every Minco team to win, no matter what.

The critics are raving about Jonah, the new Veggie Tale movie. The critics I am referring to are Calvin (6), Nevin (almost 5) and Evangeline (3). We went to see the vegetable flick yesterday, the day after it opened. The last movie Mark and I saw on opening weekend was The X Files in June of 1998.

We planned to attend the 3 pm show. We arrived at the theater at about 2:50, and we saw several children crying and clinging to parents as they headed into the parking lot. As it turns out, the 3:00 show was sold out. Adults are disappointed when a movie they were planning to see is sold out, but pre-school children are not equipped to deal with such information. All they can do is cry to show their utter unhappiness about the situation. Our 3 handled it ok, but it was only after understanding that we would go to the 5:00 pm show.

When we did actually watch the movie, the place was packed. I suspect it was sold out again. I’ll be interested to hear how it comes out on the box office stats for the weekend.

Jonah was fun for old veggie fans who are familiar with “The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything,” as they are the crew of the ship Jonah takes to Ninevah as well as the narrators of the tale. I won’t say it is better than the home videos, but it was nice to go to a movie theater with many families with small children and not have to worry at all about the film’s content. The only thing that might scare some small children is the big fish coming up out of the water. There’s also the matter of the pumpkin inards splashing Jonah (played by the remarkably talented Archibold Asparagus). This might be a bit disturbing to some. The music was excellent, as one might expect. And, the caterpillar character, Carlyle (sp?), was a great addition to the cast of vegetable favorites. Overall, it was an enjoyable family movie and an encouragement to see a Christian movie get so much attention.

If you want to read a great article about the brains behind Veggie Tales, see Christianity Today.

P.S. I just saw this article at CT’s website about layoffs at BigIdea (company that produces Veggie Tales). The tone of employees quoted is certainly different than those quoted in the earlier article. I hope Jonah does well enough to pull the company out of debt.