Maybe we're better parents than we think we are...

Lately the biggest parenting struggle we've faced (at least in my opinion) is getting Ziva to eat good food. The foods she eats aren't bad, they just don't add up to a very balanced diet. There only a few things she will always eat: string cheese, applesauce, and muffins (or any other member of the bread family). I try to make healthy muffins using pumpkin, zucchini, applesauce instead of oil, and whole wheat flour, but still. Only muffins isn't much of a diet. Then there are the things she will usually eat, but sometimes flat out refuses: corn, green beans, oatmeal, peanut butter sandwiches, yogurt, chicken nuggets, ham, cereal. And there are the every once in a blue moon (but don't count on it) foods: blueberries, bananas, carrots. Pretty much any other fruit or vegetable is a never, although I keep trying (I sure hate throwing it away when she licks it and then wants nothing to do with it!). And of course, she is my daughter and a part of the Calvert clan, so she will ALWAYS eat sweets if we let her.

Now here's where I get to the part about maybe we're doing better than I think. I look at that list (and that is truly all that she eats...on occasion I'll give her some of the "grown ups' dinner" if I think she'll eat it, but other than that, what you see is it!), and I think, oh my. But last night we went to dinner with some good friends who were visiting, and Ziva mainly at the french fries from her kids meal, with lots of ketchup (she LOVES ketchup). Now, you can see from our sorry little list of foods that, pitiful though it may be, there's no grease. So she ate a meal of french fries, and then we went to the park for a little bit where she swang for about an hour (probably didn't help....), and then on the way home, she PUKED all over herself and the car seat. And as gross as it was, and as much as I hate cleaning vomit from the carseat, I was encouraged. Obviously she's not used to greasy foods, so at least that's one positive in our parenting. Am I weird?

God is a Provider

Today we brought home a new car, for FREE. It's not brand new, only new to us, but it is one of the biggest blessings of late in a long string of blessings. Now that God has provided Vince with a wonderful job, he's driving about 50 miles one way to work each day, so he needs some reliable wheels. Until today, we'd just had one car; my little Prizm was on its last legs and we weren't needing it, so we gave it to a friend from church for him to fix up and give to his brother. At the time, we both felt that was what God wanted us to do with it. But with the Explorer draining the gas at 100 miles a day, it was clear we needed a 2nd car for Vince. Our original plan was to find something on Craigslist for $1000 or less that we could pay cash for, even though that would have been a stretch on the budget. Then we started thinking since we want something we KNOW is really dependable, maybe it would be better to take out a small loan and get something a little newer, that we know for sure will be reliable. So I put in an application at the bank for pre-approval on a loan, and when I called to check on it, they said I'd been denied. What?! I still don't know why or how that could have happened, although after today I think the hand of God had A LOT to do with it.

Last night before I went to bed (discouraged and doubting, I must admit), I read from Streams in the Desert, and the concluding thought said something about faith meaning you remain confident in God, even in the apparent denial of your request. We were facing an apparent denial of our request, of our actual need, for a car, but I prayed as I fell asleep, telling God that I know He knows our need, and I know He is able to and will provide what we need.

This morning as we were eating breakfast, Vince got a call from a man at our church that we had not yet met. He had a car and wondered if we wanted to come look at it. We got ready, drove into Tulsa, and were GIVEN a car by this sweet couple who just didn't need it anymore. Vince was able to drive it a little, and it runs like a new car, even though it's a 1990 Oldsmobile (it reminds me of a smaller version of my old Stupid, for those of you who remember it!). It has fairly low miles, great AC, and even cruise control....blessing, blessing, blessing. I didn't get a picture before we dropped it off for an oil change, but I'll try to put one up soon so everyone can see our "new" car.

We are amazed at God's goodness and power to provide in such remarkable ways. This journey we've been on the last few months has been so good in how we've seen His glory at work in our lives. Thank you Jesus!

Bedtime instructions

Me: Okay, Ziva, it's time to close your eyes now and go to sleep.

Ziva (to her baby doll): Close your eyes. Close your nose. Close your mouth. Right now! Okay? Okay.

In all her glory...

Here's the promised post about Ziva, with pictures. :) The biggest things in her life lately have been the end of the school year, which she almost missed because she had strep throat AND the flu at the same time. She is one tough kid, because the first day she was sick, the only complaining she did was to say "My tongue hurts" a couple times. Never did I dream it was strep! But she pushed through a 103-104 temperature and would still play until it wiped her out. When the temp we thought was going down spiked again, we took her into Urgent Care and heard the double diagnosis. We're one day away from finishing antibiotics and she is a happy camper.

Since we're out of school and Vince still has one week until he starts work, we're filling our days with as much fun as possible. We've been to the park several times, and tomorrow we're meeting one of her school friends and Miss Angie at the park, then going to a baseball game with the youth group tomorrow night. Thursday is Vince's and my three-year anniversary, so we're planning a zoo day with Ziva and then we'll go out Friday night. We may try to squeeze some swimming in there, too. We went to the splash park yesterday, but Ziva HATES water on her head, so that was pretty much a bust. We have to get her used to water some other way, it seems.

Other than events, she is still her bossy old self, and talking more and more all the time. Yesterday my dad went out to the back porch while Ziva was eating breakfast, and she threw her hands up in the air and declared, "Papa has no shoes on!" She narrates just about everything that goes on around her, and has most recently started saying "Hey!" when she wants our attention. She loves to sing, all the time, and her funniest song right now is the Veggie Tales theme song. I don't know how she settled on these as the words, and maybe I'm not hearing it right, but when she sings it, she sings, "Veggie Ta-a-ales, margarita"....?? We have neither been drinking margaritas or talking about them, so who knows. :)

What can I say? She is just too awesome. :)

Baking muffins....

...and eating them.

Dance party!

Here she is having her first corn on the cob the other night. It was a success!