It's Peanut Butter Jelly Time!

Y'all know what I'm talking about.



Jack has peanut butter and jelly for lunch roughly 4 times a week, and here is the typical result:

Such is life with a 1-year-old. I was just thinking about all of the unlikely messes I have cleaned up over the last 19 1/2 months. There was the time when Jack peed over his own head and onto the wall at about 2 weeks old; there have been countless sticky messes from lollipops my dad has given him, beginning at a ridiculously young age; there have been many, many up-the-back poops (and many ruined onesies)--the worst being in the Dallas airport, with no spare clothes on hand; there have been a couple of times Jack has tried to empty his own pee-pee into the big potty (unsuccessfully); countless pee-pee pop-ups; countless food messes; and let's not forget 2 weeks ago when he got up from the potty before he was done pooping and ended up pooping all over the house. But for some reason it doesn't matter. Pee on the wall or poop up the back does not make me love Jackson any less. It's not even like I have to try not to be mad at him. I'm just not!

Why is it then that the smallest thing a friend says in passing, or that a husband says carelessly, or that a family member says in anger can be so much harder to forgive. I mean, I think saying something mean (intentionally or otherwise) is usually not quite as serious an offense as, say, pooping all over someone's freshly mopped floor.

Starting today, I am praying for patience--the kind of patience I have for my son, but I want to have that patience for everyone. I know I'm not perfect, and I want to stop expecting other people to be.

On another note, today it FINALLY rained!!!! It was a glorious downpour, too. It reminded me of when I lived in Connecticut. We lived on a cul-de-sac that got little to no traffic, so during summer downpours, my sisters and I would go out in the street and play in the water. The street was on an incline, so there would be drainage down the side of the road that was like a river to us. We had so much fun dancing in the rain, and it was so cool to see Jackson get his first taste of that today. He ran outside cautiously at first, but then he decided that he loved the feel of the rain falling on him and he ran around like crazy! Eventually I heard thunder and told him to come inside, and he didn't want to go inside. He wanted to play in the rain. It really brought back memories! Oh nostalgia...

Which brings me back to the countdown--5 days until we leave for vacation! Woo hoo! We have been going to the Jolli Lodge since I was 6 years old; this will be our 19th year!!!!!! WOW. And it never gets old--just more and more nostalgic! And if anyone knows me and my family (especially Casey), you know how much we live for tradition and nostalgia!

The lodge, overlooking Lake Michigan

The Jolli-Lodge's beach at sunset.