Happy Rosh Hashanah

So I am scheduled to go back to work tomorrow (Wed.). My boss told me that I could go in to work one day before I start to meet the kids, get my key to the school, etc. So I picked this morning because Shawn was going to be home with the kids. I got all the way to the school to realize (only after not seeing any cars in the parking lot) that today is Rosh Hashanah. Since I have never celebrated this holiday I decided to look it up online and see what I could find on it. Here is what I found:
Rosh Hashanah Observance How is Rosh Hashanah celebrated? On Rosh Hashanah, Jews listen to the shofar blown during lengthy prayer services, eat holiday meals, and do no work. After repenting for bad deeds through prayers, they symbolically cast off sins through the tashlich ceremony. Rosh Hashanah is both a solemn and happy day. It is a time for introspection, asking for forgiveness, giving forgiveness, resolving to do better, remembering God is King and Judge, and praying for a healthy and happy year to come. Those observing the Jewish New Year are solemn in their repentance, but happy in their confidence that God is merciful and good.Rosh Hashanah in a Nutshell Ten Most Important Things to Know about Rosh Hashanah are:
Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year.
Rosh Hashanah is a Day of Judgement.
Selichot prayers asking for forgiveness are recited during Elul and on Rosh Hashanah.
Rosh Hashanah liturgy focuses on God as King.
Jews are commanded to hear the shofar on Rosh Hashanah.
The shofar blasts remind us that God is King.
A festive meal, with symbolic food, is eaten on Rosh Hashanah.
Shana Tova is a popular Rosh Hashanah greeting.
Tashlich is the symbolic casting off of sins on Rosh Hashanah.
Ten Days of Repentance begin on Rosh Hashanah and end on Yom Kippur.

So there you go...I have always loved to travel and learn new things about people that aren't like me. I learn at least one thing new every day. I hope that part of me never goes away.


On to GRATITUESDAY...it is so appropriate that Shawn's day off is Tuesday. Any time he has off I'm reminded how much I appreciate how much he does and how much he means in my life.

Yesterday my biggest fear about this house came true. Ayden was in the back hallway with me watching me mop. While my back was turned to him, his apple dropped and rolled underneath the plastic drop cloth that we have up covering where you go down into the basement. Apparently he reached down to get it, and he rolled down after it. It all happened so fast...I turned around just in time to see him rolling head over heals down wooden steps to the concrete floor below. It was so horrifying to have to watch knowing that there was nothing I could do until he got to the bottom and not knowing what I would find at the bottom. WELL I AM GRATEFUL TODAY, AS I WAS YESTERDAY, THAT ANGELS WERE RIGHT THERE WITH HIM TO CUSHION HIS FALL. He has a few scrapes on his legs and he busted up his chin pretty bad, but we didn't even need to go to the hospital for stitches. (Thanks for Andrea and Steri-strips!) It could have been so much worse - broken bones, concussion, snapped neck. God is so good! He was so sweet even in the midst of being scared to death. He said, "Momma, I fell down the stairs and broke my chin." And then he was more upset about getting blood on my tee shirt than the fact that he was hurt. What an angel!

This may sound really terrible, but I find myself needing to think about being grateful for Ayden more than Levi and Toby. Right now I am trying to find the happy medium with discipline and grace - to be consistent and fair and not wishy washy. He is my big boy and I keep saying to him, "you know better." Levi and Toby are both babies and it's hard to be mad at babies. Like I said two posts ago, he is testing me...he is vying for my attention just like they are. I do find though, that when I look for the good in him, I find soooo much. And the things that he does (even the stuff that really annoys me), when my attitude is right, bring me joy because it's Ayden and he is a gift from God. Here's an example. If you know Ayden, you know that his mouth is ALWAYS moving. He talks from son up 'til son down and sometimes in between ("son" was not a typo because it has nothing to do with the time of the day!). Most of the time he is talking about trains - the Thomas and Friends variety. There are very few people that he talks to that really follow what he is saying, that is unless you have had boys that have also been obsessed with the same or you spend a ton of time playing trains and watching Thomas along with him. I love him dearly and I do spend much time watching Thomas and playing trains, but sometimes I don't what to hear about them anymore! We have even had to make a rule that when we are sitting at the table, there is to be no train talk. He needs to be reminded of this at least a dozen times per meal. What I do love about it all is that his communication skills are far beyond what a three year old is usually capable of. We have always been able to say to him, "use your words," because he usually has something in his vocabulary arsenal or he'll make it up. These are what we call Aydenisms. Here are just a few:

"Momma, are you going to milk Toby?"
"Momma, will you feed Toby with your feed bags?"
He is constantly saying that Spencer (one of the trains) "is sober and very fast."
"What's happeninging?"
"But there are no peepees in my weewee."
"Momma, I found Toby's castlefire." (We have always called it a binky, but he had heard someone say passifier.)
"Wham, Bam, Slam!" (He's all boy!)

I know there are more but I need a nap and can't think - I need to write them down as he is saying them and then post the list. Anyway, I find so much joy out of my ongoing giggling during the course of a day. I also find joy out of the glazed over look on the face of someone that Ayden has cornered to talk about none other than Thomas. Don't get on my bad side or I will sick him on you!!!

Happy Gratituesday and, oh yeah, Rosh Hashanah!