Because That's How We Do Things: Frog Hunt '09

We all know JD hunts. But you might not know that he's actually pretty good about noticing 'stuff' around him too. When he got home from his last hunt, he told me about this frozen pond with "500 or so frogs beneath the ice". Obviously, I didn't believe him. Maybe it was because he said they were bullfrogs and since his explanation of catching bullfrogs with a red string and fishing line as a kid, I have become a wee-bit obsessed with finding these seemingly invisible amphibians. The temptation that 500 of them could be trapped beneath the ice awaiting my investigation was almost simply too good to be true.

My response to my own disbelief was simple: I guess I'm just going to have to see it for myself then. The enthusiasm spread and soon, the 'frog hunt' was a family affair.

I think it's important that you know something first. When going to look at frogs that are frozen beneath a pond, it's imperative that you pack some kind of ice cracking tool. Like, for instance, this rock hammer:

If you don't have a handy device like this one, then you'll end up doing like JD did and try shooting a hole through the ice with your shotgun. Not very smart, if you ask me. (oh, and just so you know...he did the shooting when he was hunting, not when all the kids were standing around looking at the pond) :) Still not very smart though. If you ask me.

We finally arrived at the pond and sure enough....500 frogs beneath the surface of the ice. They weren't bull frogs though. At least not that I could tell but I'm certainly no frog expert.

...and like a said, a family affair.

About this time, JD looked at me and saw the fire in my eyes.

"Catch one, JAY!"

and if you know JD well, then you aware that he doesn't disappoint in the 'catch one' department. Once he caught a finch in mid flight just because I said he couldn't.

And what's even funnier is he always responds with the same question,

"Which one do you want?"

And as we all stand around trying to find the biggest, fattiest frogs we can, JD starts pulling them out one by one and laying them on a rock. Can you just feel the excitement? They were still pretty sleepy at this point.

Did you know that hibernating frogs don't breathe? Well, they do actually but it's through their skin. I didn't know that 'til I googled it after this trip. It's amazing the science you can learn when you just see something weird...like 500 frogs frozen in a pond. Some frogs even 'hibernate' from the heat and burrow into mud holes. But that's not called hibernation, it's called estivation. Neat, huh? Frogs are cold blooded hibernators, which is kinda weird to me- like an oxymoron. If they're cold blooded, you'd think they'd be just fine in the cold. Bees are cold blooded hibernators too though, did you know that? I'd like to wake a wasp up slowly and then light its wings on fire. I hate wasps. All they are good for is stingin' my babies anyway! hUMPH. Does that make me weird?

back to frogs....

Oh, and did I tell you that JD is also the frog-whisperer? He can literally put a frog to sleep by rubbing it's belly. It's weird.

And if you think he can put me to sleep that way, you're out of your mind. He knows to stay away from my belly.

These little hibernators were all just huddled up here ready for their winter's nap. That is, until a shotgun blast through the ice, a rock hammer chipping away at the window to their world, and screaming on-lookers changed their world forever.

I'd like to say that JD rubbed their bellies until they fell back into their peaceful slumber, but the truth is we just dropped them back in their hole.

We didn't take any home.

We didn't eat any.

We just put them right back. :)

But I will say that it's whole lot easier to explain hibernation to a kid when you can see the sleeping frogs, get one, and wake 'em up.

Thanks for yet {another} family adventure JD :)

I'm BACK! (and randomness)

Okay...so I'm super excited because my laptop is up and running again. My brother did most (okay, ALL) of the work and one hard drive later, I'm back (minus several pictures and some tax information but back nonetheless). Finicky hard drives anyway.


and as for the randomness...I feel like I haven't really 'talked' to anyone lately. We have certainly been living in our bubble lately. Not without good reason though.


Christmas eve was not a traditional one at our house. We usually go to a candle light service somewhere and then head to my mom and dad's to play games and eat soup. Instead, I spent half of the evening drifting in and out of sleep...and then all of the night trying to keep warm in the tub and throwing up between bouts of warmth. It was a real treat, let me just say.

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JD played santa. He set out the cookies with the boys....he read them their books....he waited 'til they drifted off to sleep and started putting some 'things' together. I slept. And puked.

Ryan loved his 'powerful scooter'.

Gage was delighted with his four pack of mini dye cast jets and has yet to cease singing "Highway to the Danger Zone".

It was {perfect} even if I couldn't sit straight up.

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This Christmas has been kinda weird for me. I've been having these random thoughts about Jesus...thoughts at odd moments but they all tied together in a divinely woven way. Funny how that works. Maybe it's the whole 'being pregnant' thing going on...but my lens this Christmas was fixated on the baby Jesus.

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Like when I heard a song on the radio that talked about how the same hands of baby Jesus that were reaching toward the sky....those same hands created the stars. Think about THAT for a moment.

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And when, at The Living Nativity, the narrator said "The creator became the created". Wow.

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As Ryan and I walked hand in hand back to the truck after The Living Nativity, he asked "And where does baby Jesus go after the show?" Sometimes it's best with Ryan, to just answer, "I don't know" so that's exactly what I did.

His response?

"Probably back to our hearts."

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I {hope} in some way {truth} was revealed to you this Christmas.

UNbelievable

I'm MIA.

We have {no} TV. It started smoking....then fizzled with electrical shock. It's dead. {and I'm glad}

I have {no} computer. I 'might' have slammed the lid to my laptop down a tad harder than recommended. Note to self: If you can't pay for a fit, then down throw one.

I've been blog-less
I've been Tv-less
I've been facebook-less
I've been email-less

Sometimes {less} is really {more}...and while I've been enjoying my time {away} from multimedia, there's a part of me that can't wait for it to come back.

Fingers crossed.

{gage}2

Last night, I read "The Night Before Christmas" to Gage. When I came to the line "...and his belly shook like a bowl full of..." I intentionally left the last word blank so see what he would come up with on his own.

"...and his belly shook like a bowl full of...SOUP"!

It was so funny that we all started laughing hysterically and then Gage changed his answer to "CEREAL". He's a pretty smart cookie, that Gage- both soup and cereal are kept in bowls!!!

It's been so fun watching Gage lately. He's really starting to grab onto Christmas this year. What's more is he insists that the baby (as in the baby in my belly)...he insists that the baby's name is...Jesus!

Gage, you are SUCH a treasure to us!

Gage learned this song from the class I just finished teaching at church. Just in case you need a translation:

God made me.

God made me.

Thank you God for making me...

with my eyes and ears and nose and mouth...

Thank you God for making me

(yeah)

{ryan}5

Why do you look so grown up in these pictures?

When you came out from behind the curtain, you scanned the audience looking for me...but couldn't see my frantic wave amongst the others. It was all I could do remain seated and not jump up and down on my chair screaming "I'm right here, Ryan!!!! I'M.RIGHT.HERE"

You sang your little {heart} out.

And I couldn't help but let my pride show.

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I've worried about you Ryan.

Every day, I worry that I'm making the wrong choices...deciding the wrong things...putting emphasis in the wrong places...

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I worry about the kids who tell you that you write your name 'wrong' because you like to include your five- because after all, you ARE {5}.

I worry that you defend the life of a sister you've never met.

I worry that you don't see the world like it says you {should}.

I worry that you're not {ready} for school...but mostly, I worry that school is not {ready} for you.

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I've learned being your mother, that as you {grow} so do I.

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I've changed my definition of milestone and replaced it with YOUnique.

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I've watched you carefully these first three months of kindergarten...

...and who would have thought three months ago, you'd be {on target}? {on benchmark}?

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You have a {long} way to go but Ryan, I am so very proud of you.

Proud that you are {YOU}.

Proud that you can stay {YOU} even when it's not easy.

Proud that you've replaced "I can't" with "I won't give up".

Proud that {YOU} are determined.

Proud of your empathy and compassion at such a young age.

I am so very proud of you little {man}.

Random Musings...

1. I went to Shop Ko the other night and saw that they sell 'seven' jeans, which my friend Amy has raved about. I waddled my pregnant self back to the dressing room and attempted to visualize how my pre-pregnant self would look in a pair. Not currently the prettiest thing in the world- but I bought them anyway!!!! Here's to hoping they'll one day button. Lol.

2. Our tree is up and our shopping is done. Does that make me an over-achiever? Nah...just someone who KNOWS that the first three weeks in December FLY by in my line of business. To balance things out, I don't like to send Christmas cards until Dec. 23rd.

3. I got my new camera- the Nikon 5000 and it's this love/hate relationship. I mean, I love the thing but now there is all this pressure to take 'real' pictures...and I'm not sure I can...but I'll watch the video for the second time sometime soon.

4. I blushed a little when Ryan told my dad that he wanted Santa to bring him a remote control boat...mostly because it was followed with "Yeah....that's all I need. My mom said I can choose one thing and that's it". Just tryin' to keep it real.

5. As of this morning at 8 am, I have already gained 30 lbs with this pregnancy! Is this normal???? For me, it is.

6. Sadie (our lab/short hair) has been missing for two days. I finally convinced JD to get in truck and go looking for her. Turns out, she spent a few nights at pet rescue and after $60, is now sleeping peacefully by the fire.

7. Speaking of dogs; I have successfully convinced my kids that misbehaving children in restaurants are served dog food to eat. Is this bad parenting?

8. Things you never expect to hear as an excuse to two students arguing: "Mrs. McElroy...he's just mad that he's about to be my nephew," says an about four 1/2 foot tall 6th grader, "because my mom is marrying his brother." Huh?

9. I am addicted to Mary Kay's timewise c-serum line. Wrinkles be GONE!

10. Nothing beats a lazy Saturday...and decorating cupcakes with two little boys :)

Where is He?

This whole parenting gig is sometimes WAY over my head. I mean, the responsibility to {teach} is tough - especially when there aren't 'benchmarks' or 'standards' laid out before me. Sometimes I'm equipped for the task but frankly, a lot of the time I shoot from the hip. My dad, however, seems to have ALL the right answers for ALL the tough questions.

Like with Ryan.

Scenario One: "I try to talk to Him, but He doesn't talk back to me"
(this particular conversation between Ryan and my dad took place on an early morning hunt)

"Um, Papa Stevo?" (that's what Ryan calls my dad)
"Yes, Ryan" (and by "yes, Ryan" we all cringe a bit because it's the precursor to a tough question- one we all know he's thought a LOT about so we sort of wait in eerie anticipation)
"Why He doesn't talk to me?"
"Who? Who doesn't talk to you?"
"God. I try to talk to Him and tell him to come down from heaven so I can see Him and He doesn't talk back to me".
"Well...if you want to see God, you just have to look around...like right there (pointing to the rising sun)...see that sunrise? THAT'S God. He's right there."

This isn't a rising sun but I felt the need for a picture. You get the point.

And so Ryan, taking in what my dad has said to him says in an amazed whisper...

"You can see Him, Papa?"

"Absolutely. And you can see Him too."

Um, Papa?"

"Yes, Ryan"

"Is Olivia standing next to him?"

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Scenario Two: "Where does He live?"

"Um, Papa..."

"Yes, Ryan"

"Why God never comes to see me?"

"He can see you all the time"

"Yeah, but why He doesn't come here to live? Why He just lives in heaven and stays there all the time?"

"Well, actually...God lives right there" (my dad taps Ryan on his chest) "He lives right there in your heart".

"Oh...in my heart. Oh yeah, I freegot"

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WEEKS later...JD goes hunting...and gets a pheasant.

Ryan is poised on a stool watching my dad pluck and 'gut' the pheasant. He sits attentively inquiring about all the organs and their functions.

My heart {melts} because we've got another scientist in the making and what better person to {learn} from than my dad.

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DAYS later while driving to the TriCities...

"Um...mom?"

"Yes, Ryan" (Oh, GEEZ...here it comes...where's my dad????? what's he going to ASK????)

"Do you think if I ask him, papa will cut that pheasant's heart open so I can look inside?"

"Papa would love to cut that heart open for you Ryan...you'll have to ask him when we get home"

"Yeah...because I want to see if God's in there. I'm going to find him in there."

(flashback to a 5 year old literally translating "God lives in your heart.")

{sigh}

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This parenting gig...Lord, just give me the words. And if I don't get it right, just let Ryan give my dad the questions.

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"Inside our skin...there is this space...that twists and turns...it bleeds and aches...inside my hollow heart, there's an empty room...it's waiting for lightning...it's waiting for YOU" ~ Jewel (The Absence of Fear; playlist)

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Ryan is LIVING the lyrics to this song and I am humbled to be part of his journey to find {truth}.