Mommin' It Up!

November 19, 2007November 19, 2007

Joshua meets Jeebus

If you’ve ever been on Interstate 75 in southwestern Ohio, perhaps you’ve seen this ridiculously ginormous statue of Jesus:

I call him Jeebus. Others call him “Touchdown Jesus”, and comedian Heywood Banks wrote a song about him called “Big Butter Jesus” (because he really looks like he was carved out of butter). Google any of the names I just mentioned and you will find a plethora of websites and YouTube videos poking fun at Jeebus. Here’s a link to an article the flippin’ NEW YORK TIMES even wrote about Jeebus!

Yesterday the kids and I were driving home from a friend’s house. She lives about an hour south of us so our drive up I-75 took us right past Jeebus. Now, I for one loves me some Jesus, but I think Jeebus is ree-donkulous. I was kind of hoping Joshua wouldn’t notice him, but since he’s not blind, I was out of luck. Here is our Jeebus-inspired conversation:

Joshua: Whoa, who’s that big guy?

Me: That’s supposd to be Jesus.

Joshua: What’s he saying to all those people?

Me: What people? (I have no idea what people he was talking about. There were cars in the church parking lot but no people I could see).

Joshua: ALL THOSE PEOPLE!

Me: Ummmm..he’s saying “I love you.”

Joshua: And why’s he looking up at the sky?

Me: Well, he’s looking up at God in heaven.

Joshua: And why’s he got that funny look on his face?

Me: Uh….it’s a happy look. He’s happy because he’s looking at God and he loves all the people.

Joshua: Oh. Right.

Who knows what Joshua’s little brain and heart thought about our conversation? We talk about Jesus and God in our house every day. We read books about Jesus and Bible stories…but how can they compete with JEEBUS?? I guess Bobby and I need to keep making very, very sure that he sees Jesus in our actions as we parent every day, and that Jeebus just remains another of the many distractions we see along life’s highway. Last night when we said bedtime prayers, he thanked Jesus for his cousins, his toys, and Sophie’s birthday party. Jeebus didn’t get a mention, so maybe we’re doing ok.

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This is Emily, but I just had to jump in here, as I love the topic of Touchdown Jesus (or “The big white giant,” as Kate likes to call it)! As Jenny mentioned, the internet is full of fun facts about this frightening monument, but here’s a link to my favorite article about it.

November 18, 2007

Birthdaypalooza Comes to an End!

Yesterday we had a great 1st birthday party for Sophia at our house with our family and a couple of close friends. It was very fun but I am so glad it’s over! The Ohio State vs. Michigan football game was on and the Buckeyes won – thankfully it was clear early in the 2nd half that they would win, so my brothers were in a celebratory mood. 🙂 They gave me all kinds of crap for planning her party in the middle of the game – I maintain they should’ve KNOWN that I would not check the football schedule first! Thankfully it all turned out ok!

I decided to do a super-easy cake, which worked out well since those cupcakes were such a pain. I got a pan at Michael’s and here’s what I came up with…

A cake shaped like a cupcake! Ta-DA!

Here’s Sophie showing her Elmo cupcake who’s boss…

…and rockin’ the “Birthday Princess” t-shirt (thanks Avery and Kristyn!)

The Birthday Girl was veeeeeery sleepy because she only took a short morning nap. So she only made it through the cake and half the present opening and then she had to take another nap! But the party went on without her and we all had a great time. 🙂

Oh, and guess what else? She chose her first birthday to take some steps!! My dad decided he needed to teach her to walk on her first birthday, and he and my mom got her to take four steps twice. Of course, they did that AT THEIR HOUSE when I WAS NOT PRESENT!! (They had taken the kids for a couple hours so I could finish up the cake and house cleaning.) GRRR!!! So, Bobby and I missed her first steps!! I did get her to take three steps to me yesterday morning, but that’s all I’ve seen so far. I’m sure it won’t be long ’til she is running circles around me, though.

November 17, 2007

Tag-Team Parenting

Do you ever feel like you’re tag-team parenting?

It seems Andy and I do that a lot. More often than either of us would like, really.

I bet you know what I’m talking about… an intricate plan of who’s going to be on kid duty and when, in the midst of life’s other obligations.

We had one such occasion just the other night. Andy picked Kate up from the sitter, they went home together to grab a quick dinner (or lunch-dinner, as Kate called it – I guess a bologna sandwich didn’t deserve to be called ‘dinner’ in her mind), but as soon as I walked through the door after work, Andy had to run out the door to fulfill a teacher commitment. I threw Kate in the bathtub, hastily changed my clothes, and then she and I booked it downtown to meet Andy. As soon as he saw us, he transferred Kate to his car so they could go to story time at the library and I could meet a friend for water aerobics. By the time I got home, Kate was sound asleep in bed and I was ready to crash myself.

Of course that’s not how it goes every night, or even most nights, but from time to time, we do engage in a rousing game of “Pass the Baby.” Tell me we’re not the only ones…