The Fayre Way

My way or the highway...

noreply@blogger.com (Lora) — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 14:21:00 +0000

Some of you may know that I'm a black and white kind of person...very little room for gray in my life. There's fair and unfair. There's right and wrong. There's good and bad. And there's one right way to do things.

While I consider myself to be fairly self-aware, I don't think you notice the full extent of these tendencies until you see those same things in your children. Yikes.

I've started to notice that Torin likes things done a specific way. Hmmm...wonder where he gets that from?

And I've noticed that I can tend to lose patience when he wants to do things his own way. Like this morning. We sat down to do a math puzzle on the floor. There are 30 pieces which make 3 different puzzles by matching the color on the bottom of the piece and then putting all the green pieces in order from 1 to 10.

But Torin didn't want to do it that way. He wanted to mix the colors and then he wanted to put all three 10s together. I found myself getting frustrated and telling him that wasn't the right way to do it. I didn't want to do it his way and he clearly didn't want to do it my way.

There are times when my way matters and it's worth the fight...for safety, respect or other character developing reasons. But there are times when it really doesn't matter. I just need to let him be a kid and figure things out for himself. Let him do things his way. Let him be creative.

Most times I think I have more to learn than he does.

Keep your eye on the ball...literally

noreply@blogger.com (Lora) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 01:27:00 +0000

I've been meaning to blog about this for a few weeks now. Finally taking a moment to get this moment recorded.

A few weeks ago we were all in the basement and Torin was playing with his t-ball set. From everything we can tell, Torin is left handed so Chris was teaching him how to bat left handed. He actually does really well.

After one particular hit, Torin went to get the ball and Chris said, "You have to keep your eye on the ball." Torin looked at Chris. Then looked at the ball. And proceeded to put the ball on his eye.

Got a good laugh out of that!

Home alone...

noreply@blogger.com (Lora) — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 08:14:00 +0000

So Tuesday morning after I left for work, the boys jumped in the car, picked up Papa at his hotel and headed to Pittsburgh...three generations of Jarrell guys on a road trip. Chris had Torin saying, "road trip!" So cute.

After a yummy dinner at Mike's with my mother-in-law that evening, I headed home to an empty house...well, empty except for Pebbles. It was so odd not to have anyone else here. I haven't been home alone overnight since Torin was born. I've traveled and left the boys here. Chris has traveled and left us here. I've traveled with Torin. But the two of them had never gone anywhere overnight without me.

Needless to say, I didn't sleep well. I think I dozed on and off while watching Golden Girls, Cheers and Frasier. And then it was time to get up and get ready for work...all alone. No one else to get up. No one to get breakfast for. No one to try to get out the door to school.

Call me weird (it won't be the first time) but it just didn't feel right. I guess one day, according to some very wise friends, I'll learn to enjoy that time alone. But for now, I stand by initial reaction...it's just plain weird.

"Torin pray."

noreply@blogger.com (Lora) — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 00:06:00 +0000

Torin and I got home from church today and after a battle through lunch and getting upstairs for nap time that had me beyond frustrated, he melted my heart.

He was sitting in his rocking chair drinking his milk and reading his Bible. I LOVE watching him read his Bible but I have to say that I just really wanted him to finish his milk and go down for a nap because he needed it and so did I.

After he was done reading, he said, "Torin pray." What could I say to that?

And with no prompting from me, here's exactly what he said:

"Lord, today. See Jude. Jesus name, Amen."

As his mom, I don't need a translation, but I'm happy to provide one for others. :)

"Dear Lord, thank you for today. Thank you that I got to see Jude. In Jesus name, Amen."

At a moment when I was near screaming, he completely melted my heart. It's so amazing to hear my son pray on his own. Thank you, Jesus. What a gift we have been given.

And to top off the evening, he was singing, "Glory to God, glory to God, glory to God forever" as we were listening to worship music.

THANK YOU, JESUS!! I pray his love for prayer and worshipping God only increases throughout his life.

Three kisses...

noreply@blogger.com (Lora) — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 23:52:00 +0000

"I'll give you three kisses and whisper good night. Good night, Pookie ears. [Kiss!] Good night, Pookie nose. [Kiss!] Goodnight, Pookie eyes that are ready to close. [Kiss!]"

Night-night Little Pookie is my very favorite book to read to Torin before bed. We read it tonight and I love how he says, "Three kisses" when we get to that part. And then we go through the kisses at least two times. So cute.

After story time is bedtime prayer. While we were praying for the baby, Torin said, "Three kisses" and proceeded to kiss my tummy three times. Then he did the following: He said, "Pookie ears" (and put his ear to my belly), "Pookie nose" (and put his nose to my belly) and "Pookie eyes" (and put his eyes on my belly).

It was one of the sweetest things ever. It is so amazing to see him love the baby already. Melts my heart.

Toast...

noreply@blogger.com (Lora) — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 01:55:00 +0000

Not the kind you eat...the way I feel.

The past couple of days have been crazy. Yesterday started and ended with a dead car battery. Thank God for the Bennetts...amazing, amazing friends who took good care of us yesterday, including putting in a new battery for me.

Today, I was looking forward to picking Torin up from school and coming home for a quick dinner and some relaxation before putting us both to bed early. But my lovely plans were thwarted by a sudden, and very horrible, grinding sound coming from my rear brakes. It was so bad that they I didn't even want to drive home and then have to drive it in to the dealer in the morning. So, after picking Torin up from school, he and I headed out to the dealer.

The silver lining was that after dropping the car off, we had a very yummy dinner at Zoes Kitchen. If you like chicken salad I highly recommend it. And their chocolate cake was incredible...I love sharing cake with Torin. He says, "Torin taste." And after I give him a bite he says, "Mommy taste." What a sweet boy.

After dinner we spent another 90 minutes in the waiting room of the dealership. Fortunately, Torin's preschool teacher let us borrow a DVD so he could watch it in our portable DVD player...that probably saved the evening. Thanks, Ms. Summer!

And one of the other customers gave Torin a couple of tennis balls to play with. I thought that was very nice.

Good news is that the brakes are replaced. The bad news is that this was the second late night in a row for Torin. It will likely take him a few days to catch up.

And I'm completely exhausted. This is definitely not ideal timing for these kinds of problems, but I'm so thankful for incredible friends who are watching out for us. And in the scheme of life, these are fixable problems.

Here's to hoping tomorrow is a low key day.

"Great job, Torin."

noreply@blogger.com (Lora) — Tue, 31 May 2011 22:14:00 +0000

Just recently Torin has started saying, "Great job, Torin" when he does something. He says it after he sings a song, says his ABCs, claps to a song, draws a picture, etc. Just about everything deserves a "Great job, Torin."

I love it that he does this because I feel like he's learning to give himself praise and maybe that means he won't always depend so much on what others think or say.

And it also means that hopefully he's hearing that enough from us that it's become part of his regular vocabulary.

Can't even describe how much I love this guy!

"Heal milk."

noreply@blogger.com (Lora) — Thu, 19 May 2011 00:20:00 +0000

During bedtime prayer tonight, Chris prayed that God would heal Torin (pink eye and ear infection). Normally when we pray for God to heal one of us, Torin always makes sure that everyone is covered. So tonight, when Chris said, "Heal Torin," Torin repeated that and then continued with, "Heal Daddy. Heal Mommy. Heal Pebbles."

Very sweet.

Then it got funny. "Heal milk. Heal change diaper. Heal bed. Heal curtain."

What a funny, funny guy. Love him so much.

Date night with my little dude...

noreply@blogger.com (Lora) — Tue, 03 May 2011 23:55:00 +0000

Torin and I had a great date night this evening. I figured since Daddy had softball practice, Torin and I would go out for a night on the town.

First we went to Stride Rite to confirm my suspicion that his shoes were too small. He really did NOT want to get his foot measured but we did a quick measure and determined that his current shoes are, indeed, too small. Poor guy. I have such a hard time keeping up on the shoe thing. We left Stride Rite and with wearing his new shoes and saying, "New shoes. New shoes."

Then we went to Target to get diapers and contact lens solution. I know...we're total party animals.

We decided we wanted pizza for dinner so we went to Bertucci's for dinner. I forgot that they give the kids dough to play with it. He loved it. We made shapes and then I showed him how to take the end of his straw and make circles in the dough. Then we took two straws and made all the letters we could think of using 2 straws. His favorite was T for Torin. :)

Have to give a plug for their kids meals. Good sized pizza, drink and a little ice cream cup for just over $5. He LOVED the ice cream treat.

Came home for bath and bed. Great evening with my little dude.

Jesus and the Disciples

noreply@blogger.com (Lora) — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 00:37:00 +0000

If you were expecting some analytical thinking or something spiritual about Jesus and his disciples, I'm sorry to disappoint.

This is all about Torin's toy Jesus and disciples. Chris bought this "toy" for a small group he was leading a year or so ago. It is a boat with Jesus and all the disciples. What's weird (other than the fact that he bought it) is there are 13 disciples instead of 12. Not sure why, but I counted and it's true.

Torin now plays with this quite often. He loves to put the disciples in the boat and then dump on the floor and say, "Disciples fall down" or, "Disciples in water."

He puts the disciples to sleep and wants to change their diapers. He lines them all on the changing pad and then lays down next to them. He also asks for wipes...for the disciples. So I give him one and he wipes them off.

He likes to kiss the disciples too. And he likes mommy to kiss them too.

And then there's Jesus. Jesus came to Trader Joe's with us last week. He likes to put Jesus on the stairs and say, "Jesus, go sleep." He even shared his chocolate lollipop with Jesus. He said, "Jesus, taste."

While all this is fun and games (and so amazingly cute I can't stand it) I pray that his love for the real Jesus is just as enthusiastic.

Kiss you, Help me and other Torin sayings

noreply@blogger.com (Lora) — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 23:55:00 +0000

Feel like it's time for a post on all the fun new things Torin is saying.

He now says, "Kiss you" and will likely pull you to him. That means that he wants you to kiss him. It's only been a short while that he's actually been saying, "Kiss." Prior to that he said, "Tiss." Both are cute as can be.

Now when Torin says, "Help me" it means he wants to help you. When we get home from the grocery store, he runs into the kitchen yelling, "Help me, help me." He wants to help me put the groceries away. But when he needs help, he just says, "Help, help."

One of his new favorites is, "One more time." We went to Wal-mart and took a walk by the fish. He looked back at the fish and said, "One more time." I think I need to teach him, "Last time" or he'll keep saying, "One more time."

This morning he was in his bed playing and he pushed the button on a toy and said, "Yay! Great job!" Love it!!

He's such a funny guy!

The haircut and the lost ticket.

noreply@blogger.com (Lora) — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 00:33:00 +0000

Sounds like a fairy tale or a nursery rhyme. But it more resembled a nightmare.

I decided to try a new hair person (highly recommended by a good friend) and it just so happens that she's located at Pentagon City mall. I hardly ever go to the mall and I certainly don't love going to a mall where I have to pay to park.

The haircut went pretty well...the only thing I potentially regret is telling her to give me some long bangs. And if I end up being really sorry about that, it will be my fault because I told her to do it. Other than that, I would say it was fairly successful.

After the haircut, I headed out to the garage, paid $2 for parking and got into my car. I quickly realized that I no longer had the paid parking ticket in my hand. I got out of the car, retraced my steps from my car to the ticket paying thing and didn't see it anywhere. I tore my purse apart and didn't find it. I looked all around the car...alas, no ticket.

There was nothing else to do...I couldn't find it. So I drove to a cashier exit and explained to the lady what happened. She asked me if I had a receipt. Of course I didn't have a receipt...why would I need a receipt for paying $2 in cash? (Bet your bottom dollar I'll be getting a receipt every time from now on.)

The only option that resulted in me being able to actually leave the garage was to pay the $16 lost ticket fee. I was in tears as I handed her my credit card and by the time I exited the garage, the tears were flowing. I called Chris to tell him I was on my home and told him what happened. His response? "Why are you crying?"

I was so mad. I had just paid $18 to park to get my haircut. I don't let go of those things very easily...it irks me when I make those kinds of mistakes. And I'm definitely my own worst critic.

When we got home from church this morning, Chris opened the passenger side door of his car (the car I drove yesterday) and holds up the green ticket. It was between the seat and the door on the passenger side and must have fallen there when I tossed my stuff onto the seat.

I will so be calling them tomorrow to try to get my $16 back. Hopefully this story will have a happy ending.

"No want it."

noreply@blogger.com (Lora) — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 10:04:00 +0000

This is Torin's new favorite phrase. He says it all the time.

Me: "Would you like a waffle." Torin: "No want it."

Me: "It's time to take a nap." Torin: "No want it."

Me: Putting him in the car chair at the barber shop. Torin: Clinging to my shirt with a death grip, crying and saying, "No want it."

On the one hand, I love that he is more specifically expressing what he wants and doesn't want. However, it can be quite the challenge when his response to everything is, "No want it."

Here's to having a 2 1/2 year old!

Days like today...

noreply@blogger.com (Lora) — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 00:47:00 +0000

make me feel like an unfit mother.

Nothing super crazy happened, but Torin hasn't been feeling all that great and he was pretty moody today. And I'm tired and just not myself. The combo was not a good one.

My eyes are swollen from crying. My patience level is low and the enemy has me just where he wants me...discouraged and feeling defeated.

I love my son so much but boy does he know how to push my buttons. And when I'm already tired or my brain cells are focused on other things, there's a good chance that his button pushing is going to get a reaction.

Just telling it like it is. And, of course I know that I'm not an unfit mother. But there are days when it doesn't take much for me to feel that way.

Lord, help me to continue to grow in grace and to function beyond my feelings.

I don't know what to do with myself...

noreply@blogger.com (Lora) — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 09:44:00 +0000

I only travel a couple of times a year for work. Now is one of those times. As I type this, I'm sitting in my hotel room in Baltimore wishing the Starbucks across the street delivered so I wouldn't have to throw on my sweats and go outside in the cold.

Traveling has become increasingly more difficult since Torin was born. Before I only had to think about Chris. Now there's a totally different level of worry when I leave home. Not because I don't think Chris is capable...he's beyond capable. He's a wonderful dad. But I'm a mom. That's my job. (Okay I know it's really not my job to worry, in fact my Bible study this morning touched on that, but still, it's what I do.)

I realized something yesterday afternoon after I arrived and finished the few things I needed to do before our evening reception. I don't know what to do with myself when I'm away. I was wandering around asking people if they needed help. I stood in the lobby of the hotel for a few minutes...just standing there looking stupid. I finally made my way back to my room and did my nails and watched Sister Wives. Don't judge me...the hotel doesn't get Food Network, which is my channel of choice on the weekends. So I turned to TLC, thinking I might find an episode of What Not to Wear. I never realized I'd get sucked into this very strange show.

Anyway, it's ironic that when I'm home and immersed in every day life, it's easy to think about how great it would be to have a little break. But then as soon as I'm actually away, all I really want to do is go home. I guess that's the struggle for moms. I totally believe breaks are good, but it's so hard to let things go and really take a break.

My heart is with my guys.

Lent

noreply@blogger.com (Lora) — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 10:48:00 +0000

I guess the ultimate procrastination is getting to the morning of Ash Wednesday and knowing I want to give up something for Lent, but not yet knowing what. I was at work that day but even so it was on my mind all day.

I definitely had some ideas but didn't really like them. Get ready for some confession. I thought about giving up sweets. But, honestly, my birthday falls during Lent and I love cake. And I'm traveling twice during Lent and know it will be very difficult to uphold this while everyone around me is stuffing their faces with dessert. And to be completely honest, giving up sweets doesn't actually do anything except make me sorry that I decided to give them up. I don't institute any positive behavior as a result.

I thought about giving up my computer between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. But, again, I'm traveling and will likely need my computer in the evenings. And, again, to be honest, I'd probably just watch TV in the evening and sleep until the last possible second in the morning. No positive behavior.

So...I decided to fast sleep between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m., Monday through Friday. Come on, people. I have to get a little break. :) By getting up early, I'm carving out daily time for Bible study which is something I really need to be more consistent about. And this actually institutes a positive behavior. One, I hope, will become a steadfast habit by the end of Lent.

So, here's to waking up early and studying the Bible! For anyone who is wondering why I'm blogging before 6 a.m., I've already done my study for the morning.

Happy Lent.

Vertical lines...

noreply@blogger.com (Lora) — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 00:50:00 +0000

I really try not to put too much focus on how Torin compares to other kids. I just let him be himself and try to nurture the knowledge and gifts within him.

As his mom, I know he's got some incredible gifts. He's known his ABCs for months. He can count to 14 in English and Spanish. He can spell his name.

And today at school, he drew vertical lines. What's funny is that I just read my weekly e-mail from babycenter.com this afternoon and checked out their milestone chart. One of the milestones is the ability to draw vertical lines.

He drew his vertical lines on the other side of a paper that they were supposed to color and cut out to put on their recycle bags. But when his teachers saw that he had drawn the lines on the other side, they left the paper in tact and gave it to us.

So awesome. It's amazing to watch him learn and grow.

I'm so blessed.

Helitractor

noreply@blogger.com (Lora) — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 00:44:00 +0000

Torin is obsessed with tractors because of Cars. So it's only fitting that he calls helicopters, helitractors.

I love it!

"Uh, Mom?"

noreply@blogger.com (Lora) — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 02:42:00 +0000

Torin loves Veggie Tales. The most recent is called "A Meaningful Life" and is loosely based on It's a Wonderful Life. As in all Veggie Tales, there is a silly song part of the way through the story.

In A Meaningful Life, the silly song is called "Bedtime Songs with Junior." Junior Asparagus' mom is tucking him into bed and sings him a song that starts out, "Good night, good night. The lights are out, good night..."

She finishes singing, turns off his light and leaves the room. As soon as she does, Junior says, "Uh, Mom?" And she comes back in and he asks for his bear and sings a song about how much he loves his bear and must have it.

After she gives him the bear, she sings another verse of the good night song to him and then leaves the room again. Again, he says, "Uh, Mom?" She comes in again and he asks for his cat and then all his other animals, all while jumping on the bed.

The past couple of nights after we've put Torin to bed, he lays down and says, "good night, good night." And as soon as we walk out of his room, we hear, "Uh, mom?" He says it a bunch of times and he's trying to mimic Junior Asparagus because his voice goes from low to high. It's so cute and hilarious. I can't even explain how sweet it sounds.

I actually went back into his room so I could leave again, hoping he would do it again. And he did. What a funny and amazing child. As hard as this is and as frustrating as it can be, I can't imagine life without him and I truly cherish these moments.

Sauceros (aka Rocknoceros)

noreply@blogger.com (Lora) — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 18:24:00 +0000

When I found out a couple of weeks ago that Rocknoceros was going to be at Ebenezers, I was so excited. Torin LOVES their music...it's the first thing he asks for when we get in the car. I've taken him to see them before and he's enjoyed it but it's been a while and he's older and more interactive, so I was anticipating how he would react.

We got to Ebz a little early and they were still warming up. Torin ran around, going up and down the stairs, talking to other kids as they came in and watching the drums.

About five minutes before the concert started, Torin planted himself in the middle of the floor, on his stomach, and just laid there. I thought for sure when the music started that he would get up and sing and dance.

I was wrong. He just laid there. Finally Chris picked him up and brought him by us but he wouldn't even sit in our laps...just wanted to lay on the floor. I thought for sure he wasn't feeling well or that something was wrong...he didn't even clap after any of the songs...and he does that for every song in the car.

When the show was over, Chris took him to get his hand stamped by one of the band members and it was like magic...he was up and going again...acting like his normal self. I guess he was just tired and needed a little rest? I have to say I was a little frustrated that I paid $30 for us go to the concert so Chris and I could sing the songs and he could lay there and rest.

Oh Torin, I never know what to expect with you. Such is life I suppose. Guess we'll try again when they're back the next time.

A full belly.

noreply@blogger.com (Lora) — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 01:15:00 +0000

A week or so ago I blogged about Torin only eating ketchup for dinner. Well...tonight was the opposite of that night.

We stopped at Aunt Sonja and Tio Mike's before we came home and he ate a few pieces of cucumber and a banana. Cucumber is one of his new favorite foods.

When we got home, I gave him a plate of chicken with barbecue sauce, macaroni and cheese, cucumber and broccoli. While he didn't eat any chicken, he ate 2 helpings of mac and cheese, 2 helpings of broccoli and about a quarter of an English cucumber...no idea where he put all that food.

It's definitely true that they know what they need and what they want. And it really does all equal out.

A perfect example of why it's not worth it to stress over food.

"Summer, Jenna. Amen."

noreply@blogger.com (Lora) — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 00:48:00 +0000

I always pray with Torin as we're pulling into the parking lot of his school. We pray for his day and his teachers. Today, when we were leaving the parking lot after school, I heard him saying, "Summer, Jenna. Amen."

He was praying for his teachers. So sweet.

Torin has been blessed with awesome teachers and we are so thankful.

Thank you, Miss Summer and Miss Jenna for all you do for Torin and all the other students. Please know that we are praying for you and Torin is too!

"Some me."

noreply@blogger.com (Lora) — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 00:56:00 +0000

We have a couple 2 liters of soda on the table left over from small group. While we were eating dinner tonight, Chris poured himself some ginger ale.

Torin watched him and said something that neither of us caught. He repeated himself a couple of times and then held out his cup and said it again, "Some me."

He wanted some in his cup. Obviously we didn't give him any, but it was too cute.

P.S. This post is really just for me...so I don't forget these little things. Love my boy.

"Red! Turn Green!"

noreply@blogger.com (Lora) — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 00:55:00 +0000

Torin's latest game in the car is to announce the color of every traffic light. If it's red, we say, "Stop!" And, if it's green, we say, "Goooooo!"

So today on the way home from school, we came to a red light and Torin said, "Red. Turn green. Please." It was so cute. And then he counted down, "Three, two, one." And wouldn't you know, it turned green.

What a guy. So much fun to watch him learn new things. You can almost see the connections taking place in his head.

Love it. And love him muchly!

My Little Valentine

noreply@blogger.com (Lora) — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 00:40:00 +0000

It just so happened that Valentine's Day coincided with my regular day off...and what a wonderful day it was.

Torin and I started the day by heading out for our Monday date at Starbucks. We have been going in the afternoon but we had plans to visit a friend so we hit Starbucks on the way.

As soon as we walked into Starbucks, Torin yelled, "CAKE!" So cute. I ordered my coffee and a muffin (I tried to explain that we were getting a blueberry muffin instead of a cupcake since it was 9:30 in the morning...not that they are probably that much different).

We sat at a little round table and shared our muffin. I love sitting across the table from him and watching him. We always have the best time.

From there, we headed over to play with some friends...some much needed friend time for mommy and great play time for Torin. Our time included playing with Cars characters, a fun walk and playing at the playground.

On the way home, I gave Torin a lollipop to keep him awake (I know this is becoming a habit). It was successful and we headed in to get ready for a nap. Torin was still eating his lollipop and decided he wanted to share it with Lightning, Chick and the King. It was terribly cute.

He took a fantabulous nap and then had the opportunity to play with some more friends while Mommy and Daddy went out for dinner.

Couldn't have asked for a better day. Love my guys!