My Faith and Joy… and Boys!

I just have to take a moment and publicly announce that our niece Alli is the most incredible 14-year-old girl on the planet (and that’s not just because I don’t know any other 14-year-old girls).  She’s spent the last month here in Connecticut with her grandparents, uncle and I, and I don’t ever want her to leave.  She only has a week left with us before returning home to Arizona and I’m already mourning her impending absence.  She has her eyes on the Lord, her head on straight, her feet on the ground, and her hands in the hands of my little girls.  I’m not simply amazed at how good she is with my kids; I’m amazed at how I can talk with her better than I talk with most any adult.  She listens, shares, and laughs with me, sits in silence with me, discusses Scripture with me, and goofs off with me, as if the only distance between 14 and 29 is cultural (the child didn’t know what stirrup pants were.  I LIVED in those!).  She seems to have skipped over that typical teenage self-centered stage when kids are convinced that their needs are the only ones that matter.  She truly cares about other people and works hard to show them that she cares.  She has a heart for the Gospel and longs to share it with others.  She seeks the wisdom of the Bible and her elders to help guide her footsteps in her Christian walk. 

And did I mention she’s gorgeous?         

So to Alli’s parents – keep doing what you’re doing.  And write it down so you can tell it to me step-by-step once my girls hit their teenage years.

And to Alli, my faithful blog reader who I know is going to be royally embarrassed by this post – thanks.  You’re the best.  And I mean it.

Remember those great kids that accompanied Alli and I to Six Flags a few days ago?  Well, we were blessed that their aunt Maria drove them out on Saturday to spend the day at the lake with us.  The boys were just as “responsible and well-behaved” as last time, with more healthy doses of horseplay thrown in. 

Alli kept the boys in line.  Mostly.     

Of course, she couldn’t help but join in some of the horseplay as well. 

And then her uncle would whisk her away from those young men.  But I don’t think Jim fully grasped that his role as an overprotective uncle wasn’t supposed to involve him whisking Alli at such high speeds that she would have been far safer on the tube with a few boys than she was with him on the jet ski!      

Without any restraining female influence, the boys plotted their testosterone-laden activities.  

Which of course involved a floating wrestling match.

Which of course involved excessive splashing. 

Susie thought the boys were very funny.

Becky was glad the boys let her join in the tube riding.

Jim was just happy that the girls are at least two to three decades away from dating boys. 

I had the day off today from toddler-duty so I could do teen-duty instead.  I left the girls with my in-laws this morning and accompanied my 14-year-old niece Alli and four of our young teenage friends to the water park at Six Flags New England.   And although I never had to change a diaper or put anyone down for a nap, there were a few similarities in my daily duties.  I still found myself:

1) Spinning in circles trying to keep track of quickly-moving kids

2) Watching the kids poke each other in the back and head (although this was much more fun because I didn’t feel the need to intervene to preserve anybody’s eyeballs)

3) Laughing at how much fun kids have “frolicking” in bodies of water

4) Encouraging the kids to be brave and not whine when something looked too scary

5) Rewarding the kids with ice cream

6) Listening to the kids scream (although this was actually enjoyable, given that the screaming was coming from Alli who was emitting high-pitched staccato yelps as she hurtled down various waterslides)

7) Having to put up with “The Wiggles” – they’re everywhere! 

All joking aside, I had a wonderful time and thoroughly enjoyed the day.  These are REALLY good kids that were a lot of fun to hang out with.  I can only hope my girls grow up to be as responsible and well-behaved (at least, the boys were well-behaved if you don’t hold against them a few warning whistles from over-cautious lifeguards who clearly didn’t understand the value of horseplay!). 

There are more a few more pictures I wanted to post, but they’re on Alli’s camera and I bungled the download onto my laptop, so hopefully I’ll add them here in the next day or two when I next see Alli.  This is the only picture of the group that I ended up with.  I guess it captures their toddler-like behavior!

I may not be ready to start potty training the girls…

…but Susie thinks she’s ready, judging from the fact that she’s already bringing reading material along with her to the pot.  I don’t know where she gathered that stylish headwear was also important. 

The girls weren’t letting Pappy snooze on our couch this afternoon, but they were content to climb up and keep him company while he momentarily rested his eyes (although this pose only lasted a few seconds!)