The Thing With Feathers

Criminal Minds is a seriously good show.  I got into it last summer and have been watching reruns every time they are on.  And boy are they on.  A lot.  I think it's the new Law & Order, which I'm convinced is on every hour without fail on some channel.

Tonight I watched a new (to me) episode called Mosley Lane.  It was one of those gut -wrenching episodes that makes you want to go lock your doors, hug your kids, and then go check the locks on the doors.

This episode made me think about Zeke.  One of the abducted children dies protecting a little girl who had also been kidnapped.  Zeke is such a special little guy.  He is so strong and brave- so much more than I was at his age.  He is not afraid to get out there and try something.  I think he would be the kind of kid who would have died to protect an innocent girl.

My special little guy is definitely not that little anymore.  But, he'll always be special.  I'm so thankful for the person is becoming.  

The show ended with a great quote by Emily Dickinson.  Here is the poem it comes from:

Hope is the thing with feathers -
That perches in the soul -
And sings the tune without the words -
And never stops - at all -
And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard -
And sore must be the storm -
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm -
I’ve heard it in the chillest land -
And on the strangest Sea -
Yet - never - in Extremity,
It asked a crumb - of me.

Words, Turds, and Things That Were Said

"As far as anyone knows, we're a nice normal family." -Homer Simpson

Communication is so important to family life. It is one of the fundamental pieces of a healthy and loving home. With that being said, here are a few choice snippets that have been overhead at my house recently. If you know my family personally, then have fun trying to figure out who said what to whom.

"Dad, it's like it's farting."

"Dangit, Eli. That's gross! We wear underwear in this family."

"When me and Zeke grow up, we want to be in a band."

"Oops. I spilled, but that's okay."

"My booty is stuck."

"These are skinney jeans. See how they start up big at the top and then get smaller down here?"

"I just don't think it's very responsible to throw everything away."

"No, do not touch your butt."

"It's funny that the beer commercial made him laugh."

"What, you ate all of them?"

"Can you clip this cape on me?"

"I'm putting these in front of me, like they do in the movies."

"I love you!"

"Hey hey, listen to your heart now. Hey hey, don't you feel the rush."

"There's poop coming out."

"I love butt cracks."

I'm trying to fart!

"Snow White is white. And she's yellow too."

"I want to give him a kiss."

"I love you."

"Bahye, bahye. Did you hear hime say bye bye?"

"Pull your underwear down. What are you doing? That's disgusting!"

"I've been ripping plastic for years."

"Did you hear that music? I was just doing some break dancing."

"Can you tuck us in?"

"I love you guys."

About 14 weeks

The newest baby Stortz will be here in about 14 weeks. I know most pregnancies usually time track with how far along they are, and not how far they have to go. But, for the sake of my wonderful wife, I am trying to keep it positive and it sounds better to say 14 weeks left, than 26 weeks along. Hmmm. 14 weeks is still a long time when you are pregnant. Maybe 26 weeks along does sound better... anyway.

We had our second ultrasound on Monday. The first ultrasound a few weeks ago revealed some cysts in the baby's brain that needed to be checked out further. It sounded very serious, but they assured us that is was probably nothing to worry about. And, thank you Lord, the second ultrasound proved that to be true. Everything looks healthy and on track.

We also decided to find out the baby's gender, albeit a little reluctantly for me. I thought it would be a fun surprise to not find out. It turns out I am a glaring minority on this one. Apparently there are clothes to get, accessories to buy, and rooms to plan. Not a big deal, though. We were having such a hard time picking out a name that it was nice to narrow it down a bit. We are expecting a boy and settling into the name Titus.

It was a lot of fun getting to tell the other kids. Zeke has been spot on about his brother and sister and his new brother was no exception. He knew it was going to be a boy and was not surprised. Selah's a bit confused and still seems to think that there is a baby growing in her tummy. But Eli wins the prize for best quote. When asked "What if the new baby is a girl?" He responds-

"If it's a girl, I quit!"

God bless that honesty.

Great Quote: Multitasking

"Multitasking is the art of distracting yourself from two things you’d rather not be doing by doing them simultaneously."

I found this very funny, but not ha-ha funny. This is a great quote that I grabbed from a post on 43 Folders, my new favorite blog.