Caleb Sallee

This past Monday, my sisters and I and our families gathered at Rick and Rachel's house for Caleb's one year old party. We had a wonderful time. It is hard to believe that Caleb is now one year old! He thoroughly loved his cake (and so did I...only 340 calories :-) ) He loved playing with his new basketball set Stacey and I got for him as well....and I am sure he likes the other stuff others purchased for him...but none like Unkie Travis'!
We didn't play games, we didn't pull a prank, we didn't order Chinese (though I missed that), we didn't watch a movie or show, we just enjoyed family.
These past few months have been tough on all three of us sibling. Different battles and struggles. All three of us were tired, a little weary, and some what subdued. No one said anything, we just all knew and we all in glances, hugs, smiles, and nods encouraged each other, loved each other, and strengthened one another.
Life can be a battle, and in those battles, there is none better comrade than family.
I am thankful for my wife so much and for my sisters...hang in there!

The Faith of a Child

I seem to be the only one of my siblings who remembers how to type these days, so I guess I will post 2 blogs in a row! :)

I usually write something about my childhood, or something that happened with my brother or sister, but something happened to me this week that I wanted to share with the world. Since I don't have a tv show or a radio broadcast then I figured this was the best way to share my story...the lesson that I learned ....

As I am sure you are all very aware my son Zachary has several health problems. (which I will sneak a quick note in here now asking you to pray for him and these issues! thanks :) We have to take frequent trips to Cincinnati Children's Hospital for various doctor appts. He has about 8 specialists down there now. I am quite comfortable in the hospital hallways. I have been making these trips for almost 8 years now. I usually come quite prepared. I know to bring the extra snacks, toys, and games for those "short" visits that can often become all day adventures. However, on this particular day I had worked all day at Zach's school. I had helped in the Kindergarten class since the time I dropped him off. I had remember to bring Zach's Nintendo DS for the long wait, but I had completely forgotten to bring the extra snacks and drinks.

Now, Zach eats lunch at school at 1030 every day. So when he gets home, he is always hungry for a little snack. This is why I am not winning Mother of the Year. I really should've known this. But I had forgotten. As soon as we were pulling out of the school parking lot I heard his little voice from the back of the van.."Mommy, I'm hungry!" I had one of those "You're a horrible mother" moments. "I'm so sorry, Zach. I forgot to bring you a snack." To the which Zach was quick to reply, "It's ok, we can stop at McDonalds!". Right!! McDonalds!! I started digging in my purse...10, 25, 35, ...well...52 cents won't buy us much at McDonalds these days!!

"I'm sorry, Zach. I have no money!" I was still feeling that horrible mother feeling! Now, while Zach is normally a good child, and has always been fairly well behaved..He has his ...well..his whiney moments.. This was one of them...Imagine the most annoying whiney 7 yr old voice you can imagine..."But, Mommy, I'm soo soo sooo hungry! I will starve to death if I don't get something to eat. You HAVE to find me something to eat!" I knew it could be a very long time before we got home from this appt. I felt horrible. He continued, "Fine, mommy. I will pray and ask Jesus to give me something to eat. He listens to me when I pray."

Oh, great!!! Now he is bringing Jesus and prayer in to this!! Now I'm feeling even more horrible!! It probably would've been a great time to teach him a lesson about prayer or trusting, or something wonderfully spiritual like that. Instead, I chose to pout. "Why do I never have cash? Why can't I remember to be a good mom? Why didn't I bring him a snack? UGH!!"

We pulled in to Children's Hospital, and I immediately went to what I have come to call "my" parking garage. It's just where I always park. It's where there seems to be a parking spot always open for me! We walked inside. Another "stupid mother" moment. We were walking in right in front of the cafeteria!!! As soon as Zach smelled the food the whining began again. "Are you sure you don't have any money, mommy? Nothing at all? I'm soo hungry!!" (and Zach can be quite dramatic too! I don't know where he gets that from :)

"I'm so sorry, Zach. I just don't have any money!" We were directly in front of the cafeteria door when a staff member of CCHMC stopped us. He had a very kind face. He stopped in front of Zach and held out his hand. I looked down. He was handing Zach some money. My heart stopped!!! Then he started talking...

"Hi! I work here at Children's Hospital. Someone turned in some money that they found. When we find money, we hold on to it for a couple of hours, but if no one asks for it then we find someone who looks like they might like some money and give it to them. Would you like some money?"

Now, you are probably thinking what I was thinking...NU-UH!!! That did not happen!!! Well, my friend, I can promise you that it most certainly did happen!!! Right before my very eyes!

Of course, Zach reached out and took the money with the biggest smile I have ever seen!! My eyes filled up with tears. The man probably thought I was a crazy lady! He was quick to say, "Ma'am..it's only $4!".. I laughed. "No, it's just that..well..." I couldn't even find the words to say. I looked down at his name tag. I don't remember his name. But I will NEVER forget the sticker on it. It was a beautiful redbird!!! For those of you who know my mom, you know why the tears started rolling down my face. For as long as I can remember, my mom has used the redbird to symbolize a rememberance to God's promises. She has her own "redbird" that always seems to come visit her on just the days the Lord knows she needs him the most. When I pray for mom, I will often ask Him to send her a redbird as a reminder of His love to her to help her thru the day. When I saw that sticker on the man..I immediately knew Who that money was from!

Zach looked up at me and said, "Come on, mommy. Now we can go get a snack! Jesus answered my prayer." It was so "matter of fact" that I couldn't stop the tears. Oh to have his faith. I got such a great opportunity to talk to him about prayer, about the love of the Lord and about the lesson I had learned from him that day! We went in to the cafeteria. He got a snack, a big Gatorade and even a pop for me. The grand total...$4.02!!! God is so good!!!!!!

As soon as we got to our appt, I text mom.."Did you ask the Lord to send me a redbird today?" I quickly got her reply, "Yes, did He?" DID HE??? She had no idea!!!!

I am so thankful for the little things. I'm so thankful for His reminders. I'm so thankful for redbirds!! :)

Sibling Wars?

Last Friday night, my family went on a fun family outing. We went to dinner and took a ride thru Holiday In Lights. There were so many Christmas lights, making so many different things. The kids loved it. We then went to see Santa and to a kid's playland. It was an amazing night of fun for both my kids. They smiled and laughed all night long. Then we headed home. We hadn't been in the car for 5 minutues when they started. "She touched my arm!" " He stuck his tongue out at me." "She hit me". "Zach called me meanie". Now I am usually ok with the fighting. Unless I see blood or hear "dirty words or names", I can pretty much let them fight it out. Randy on the other hand, doesn't handle the fighting so well. He gets frustrated with them easily. "Why can they have so much fun together all night, then hate each other minutes later?" Oh, the memories started flooding back.....

When Travis and I were little, we were the best at sibling wars! It was one battle after another. I can't remember much about what we would fight about. What I do remember most is how my mom would handle it. Thinking back on our battles makes me laugh now. Seems like Travis and I would fight just about every day we were going to church. When mom had had enough she would say, "One more word and you two will sit next to me in church and hold hands the entire time." WHAT??? Oh no, that is not happening! Mom never heard another word! (we may have shared some nasty looks, and some tongues being stuck out at each other, but never another word!)

Travis and I had 2 things that were without fail, an area of controversy that always ending in a fight...1. Who was going to ride in the front seat of the car with mom and 2. Who got to watch "their cartoon". As usual, mom had the answer... We had to "call front" when we were growing up. The key was, we had to wait until mom said the words, "We are leaving". As soon as she said those words, whoever said, "I call front" got to sit in the front seat. This is one issue I have not had to deal with my kids yet. (Thank the Lord for the new car seat laws!) Travis and I would follow mom around the house whispering to her, "Is it time? Are we leaving?" We were hoping she would answer "yes" quietly so the other person didn't hear her say it. For some reason, most of my "car memories" are from the back seat! I don't think I was very good at that game!!!

Mom had the answer for stopping the arguing over cartoons too. We had our "days" to watch our cartoons. My days were Mondays and Wednesdays. Travis' days were Tuesdays and Thursdays. (because those days started with a "T" just like his name!) What happens on the other days you ask? They were "Mom and dad's days". If we started arguing over the TV on those afternoons, we watched what mom said to watch. And trust me, it wasn't interesting at all! My Tuesdays and Thursdays were full of "He-Man" and "Transformers" and "Thundercats". I hated them! Travis' Mondays and Wednesdays were full of "Strawberry Shortcake" and "Care Bears". Now that's some good cartoons!

Mom always seemed to have the answers to our arguments! I called mom the other day when my kids had been at each other all day long. I felt like I was losing my mind, and my thoughts went back to those days of bickering with Travis and Rachel. I immediately thought that I needed mom! She would know what to do. She would know how to handle them! I told her my dilemma and said, "What do I do, mom?" She said something I will never forget...she said, "Hahaha. I don't know!" What??? You don't know??? You have to know! You always knew!!! Her answer was, "You reap what you sow!" I think she thoroughly enjoys hearing me suffer thru my kids fights. She remembers those days like yesterday too. But what she told me next did help me .. a lot. She told me every kid is different. You have to find what works with them. Only the Lord can help you figure that out!

We have an amazing mom! Why was she so amazing? Not because she is an awesome cook (even tho she really is). Not because she can sing like no one I have ever heard..or any of the other millions of wonderful things about her...She is an amazing mom because she always found the answers in the Word of God. She always spent time finding her answers on her knees. We thought she had all the answers to solve our sibling wars growing up. What we know now, is we have the same "Book of Knowledge" that she did!! Thanks, MOM!!!!!!

And, Travis, it's Tuesday..and I'm NOT watching your cartoons!!!! :)

Perfect

So far we have shared some events that highlight the mistakes, attacks, and blunders of one another. Seeing how that both my sisters have forgotten how to type or share a story, I will go again...but this time a little different.
This past Friday at 11:30 a.m. (o.K. 11:40, I was late) I met my sisters at Soho for lunch (a wonderful place to eat). There we sat around the table, Chrystal, Rachel, Stacey, Caleb, Lici, Hope, and I. We told stories about what all was happening in our lives. The Japanese/American -Iron Chef wanna be-was cooking our food. He threw pieces of cooked food in the air and asked if we wanted to try and catch it in our mouths....of course Chrystal and I did. Was there any doubt? That is us all the way. I caught mine in my mouth, Chrystal after four attempts just caught the food in her hands and shoved it in her mouth so as to not waste any more food. Rachel with her smile and wit shared some news in her life. Stacey, the love of my life, sat near me laughing and sharing stories about our last few days. We had not all gotten together for nearly 2 months.
We ate our dinner, enjoying every bite of the wonderful food. Soon, because we inherited our mother's digestive system, Rachel and I at the same time had to go to the bathroom. Upon returning, we paid our bill, shared a candy bar (MILCH) from Mexico I had brought back (awesome), and walked out together. A few jokes shared, a couple of jabs at making fun of each other, and we got in our cars and went our separate ways. It had been a long time since we did something like that.
I know you read and we write of fun stories, jokes, dares, and blunders that we laugh at each other with; but there are not three siblings in the world closer than us. I praise the Lord for the gift He has given us in each other. That event, that afternoon, with each other was....well...in a word...Perfect.

Clue: Travis, in the Hallway, with the Dental Floss

What has become a legendary story around our church all began one rainy summer evening in around the year 1984. That day, all day, my sister Chrystal tried desperately to interfere with my playing with my G.I. Joe men (not dolls) and transformers. We were stuck inside all day due to the rain, and I was content playing in my room with my cool toys. Problem was, Chrystal was not content with her toys and wanted to play "army" and "transformers" with me.
Now, let me say. My wife, being an only child, does not understand how our two children Alex and Grace, just can't play together all the time. Grace too, wants all the time to play with Alex and his "Legos" and "transformers." I, on the other hand, understand, and try my best to protect this much needed 'alone time between the boy and his toys.' It just isn't right to have your sister play the part of Megatron, Cobra Commander, or have her steeling that one large blue flat piece you need to finish constructing that awesome space ship out of legos. So Alex, I understand and got your back....
Back to our story: That day Chrystal seemingly was constantly interfering with my play time. I was about 10 at the time and Chrystal around 7. Mom, had given in to Chrystal's unjust demands and had instructed to me let her play with my transformers. That is when it happened...I got the idea that would forever symbolize mine and Chrystal's relationship.
"Chrystal, you stay in here and build a fort, and I will go into the living room and build mine and then we will battle!" I said.
"Really, thanks Bub, that will be great." Chrystal replied. Off I went into the living room; but not to build a fort, but instead a trap.
Now, let me say, most who know me have already realized that I have quite the 'imagination.' That day it was working overtime. Instead of building a fort, I reached into the medicine cabinet and pulled out a brand new box of dental floss. I began placing my trap.
At the end of the hallway there was a coat closet and Chrystal's room. I, using the hinges and articles behind both doors, used the dental floss to make a way to trip Chrystal as she walked down the hallway. I, even at that age, new one piece would not do it, so I went back and forth until I felt the trap was strong enough. By that time, I was very proud of myself and was about to call for Chrystal, but then I had another idea.
Instead of just tripping her, I could make like a spider web that she would have to break through. That would be funny. So, like Charlotte for an incredible pig, I began spinning my web. Back and forth from top to bottom I stretched out the dental floss. Soon I realized I had used the entire roll of dental floss. And the best part was, it was virtually invisible with such tiny thread and the lights turned out.
I visioned in my mind Chrystal running down the hall way and hitting the floss and falling through it while all of us laughed and made a fun memory.
It was then I set on the sofa where I could see down the hall way. I then called out "Chrystal, Chrystal, come quick you have to see this...HURRY!"
My bedroom door swang open and Chrystal came running down the hall. My smile grew larger with every step she took. It was then she hit the trap. It was all just like I had visioned...Chrystal runnind down the hall, hitting the floss...but she didn't fall through it. Where was the laughing? I immediately heard a scream...and so did mom downstairs. I turned on the lights, and to my horror found my sister laying on the floor in the hall with blood on her face, arms, and legs. Mom came up and saw her and screamed and went to pick her up....she didn't see the floss either. Luckily, for me, it was just a nuisance to her and she wasn't hurt. By that time I had a big knife to cut my way through the floss so mom could get to her.
Stopping and thinking about it, I sure am glad no one walked in at that time to see my mom screaming, me with a large knife, and a bloody Chrystal lying on the floor.
Anyways, I cut the floss and mom got to Chrystal and all was well.
Seemed that because of the amount of floss I used, instead of just breaking when she hit it, it became like small paper cuts that cut Chrystal's head, arms, and legs.
Needless to say, I got a serious spanking when dad came home....but to be honest, it was worth it and I would definitely had done it again.
Classic!

"Garage Sale" ????

One of my favorite things to do on Saturdays is to go to garage sales with my sister. It's always been fun to me to go "garage sale-ing", as we call it. It is my husband's least favorite thing that I do. He has never understood why I love other people's "garbage" so much! But Rachel and I find some great treasures amidst that garbage some days! Especially now that she has Caleb. She understands how much fun it can be to go looking for baby clothes and toys! I really believe the Lord sends us to some garage sales just to find the "perfect" item. This story, however, takes place before Caleb. It was about 3 years ago, I think. Let me set the stage...

It was a warm, summer Saturday. Rachel had spent the night with me the night before. It was all with the grand idea of going "garage sale-ing" the next morning. We like to start early. We don't do the early bird thing, because that's just rude, but we do like to get started early before all the good deals are gone. We got our newspaper and hunted out the best area of town to go towards. We were so excited. And "garage sale" we did! It was a blast. I think we hit every garage sale in the newspaper. We were out of ads, so we decided to sign hunt! We were driving around looking for signs. "I will look on my side, you look on your's". We had been out for several hours at this point. So, I will give it to Rachel. We were both getting tired. We were in the beautiful little town of Loveland. We came to the top of a hill to a red light. As we were pulling up to it, Rachel shouted, "Oh, over there." And she started to read the sign. (I'm having trouble typing this right now, because I'm laughing so hard I'm crying.)

Rachel said in a loud, bold voice. "OH! Over there!" .She was reading slowly, and on purpose like she was sounding out every letter.."GARAAAAGGGEEE SAAALLLE! "

I looked out her window with excitement in my voice, "Oh boy, Where? Which way? I don't see it!"

I think she was getting aggervated at me.."Right there!" She pointed to a white piece of poster board. I was looking everywhere around the poster board. "What?"

Rachel said, "Oh, wait. Nevermind." I looked at the board...I said, "You mean the one that says 'Oak Bed for sale' ?" I couldn't help but lose it!! I started laughing so hard!!

"Where in the world did you think you saw garage sale?"

"I don't know. I thought it said that."

I promise you, my friends, my sister can read. She was trying to very hard as she read what she thought said "Garage Sale". She was sounding out every letter with purpose!!!
Oh, we still go "garage sale-ing" these days...but I look for the signs now. Unless of course we are looking for beds..then I let her read them!!! I love my sister, I really do!!! :)

The 3 Bears

My brother was not known for being kind to me as a child. He loved to make me cry. One of his favorite things to say to me was, "If you don't stop it, I will make you cry." And that he did. If I started to aggervate him in any way, it didn't last long because he would make me cry everytime. I think he found some sort of joy in it.

My worst memory of him making me cry happened when I was about 6 years old. I can still remember it plain as day. Mom was telling us the story of The 3 Bears..Papa bear, Mama Bear, Baby Bear. Such a nice little story. I enjoyed hearing mom tell us stories. It was bed time. It was getting dark out. Mom told us to go to bed. I jumped up and started down the hall. I had to pass Travis' room to get to my room. He said, "Psst. Come here." I went in his room and jumped up on his bed.

He said, "You know those 3 bears mom was telling you about?"

"Yes?"

"Well, what she didn't tell you, because she didn't want to scare you was...They live under your bed!!"

"WHAT????"

"Yes. Papa Bear. Mama Bear. Baby Bear...they all live under your bed. They come out at night while you are sleeping and eat and play in your room."

Now, I don't know why I was such a stupid child. But in my world, Travis hung the moon! He could've told me anything and I would've believed him. (like the fact that I was adopted. bc he told me that and I believed him til I was 12!)

"We need to tell mom!" I was sobbing at this point!

"NOOOO!!! You can't tell anyone!! If you do..they will eat us all!! They don't want to go back to the zoo. If they know we know then they will eat us! You can't tell a soul!"

OHH NOOO!!!! I really was terrified. He told me to go jump in to bed. I couldn't get out of bed until the sun came up every morning. That's when they went back under the bed and wouldn't bother us. We all know bears sleep during the day and are up at night. Right? Of course, I didn't want to sound dumb so I agreed..and I believed every word of it.

I didn't sleep for months! I don't know exactly what happened to make me stop believing that. I do remember having some accidents tho, because I couldn't get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom or we would all die!!

I might have been dumb, but I would rather be dumb than mean...plain old mean!!!!!!!!!!