And so it has begun – the draining of the Tooth Fairy’s bank accounts due to our kids beginning to lose their teeth.  Jack was the first – lost one of his lower front teeth in October.  It was loose for awhile and then one day he decided it was time for it to go.  I gave him the idea of gnawing on an apple and sure ‘nuf he had that tooth out in 10 or 20 little tiny bites.  The excitement that coursed quickly through all of the Fab 5 once that little tooth popped out was quite an experience for all of us!  The Tooth Fairy was generous – left him two bucks underneath his sleeping noggin – and so was Jack – when he found the treasure, he gave half of it to Brooklyn and declared that every time he lost a tooth he would give a dollar to one of the girls.  This is not the first time Jack has exhibited a generous streak towards his girls and it melts our hearts every time!  Chivalry is not dead as long as Jack Jones is part of our world…. :)

The next to discover a wiggly tooth was Brooklyn and it appeared a few weeks ago.  And there it still is, not-so-firmly attached to her less-than-generous gums.  Brooklyn won’t touch it except for the occasional wiggle to make sure it’s still there.  Every time we suggest a way to get it out, she quickly says “No!”  It’s been at least 3 weeks since the wiggle began and if teeth were attached to their gums with thread and a needle, that tooth would literally be hanging by a thread – a single, tattered, weathered, chewed up thread of a thread.  And she won’t touch it…no way, nope, forget it.

And then there’s Lila.  Lila discovered a wiggly tooth 2 days ago.  And the tooth was out 10 minutes later.  She first went for the apple and even though it got her gums bleeding, it wasn’t doing the trick for her.  I told her that it might not be ready to come out and to give it a few days.  A few minutes later as she was brushing her teeth she showed me how far she could push it back.  It didn’t look ready to come out yet, especially since there was a decent amount of blood and I told her to give it some time.  The next time I looked at her – no more than a few seconds later – that bloody spot on her gums had grown quite a bit and on further inspection I confirmed that the tooth was out!  We found it in the bathroom sink…Lila had been pushing on it with her toothbrush and didn’t realize she had pulled that sucker out and spit it into the sink.  I immediately went downstairs and hid the pliers…ha!  The Tooth Fairy bestowed the same treasure upon Lila as she did upon Jack – 2 crispy dollar bills.  And Lila danced!  And Lila also sang!  She sang and danced and showed everyone the treasure; and she showed us all the joy of being a kid who believes in magical fairies……

Three children, three teeth, three temperaments.  It is such a joy to discover the the differences between our children when life’s experiences draw them out!  Jack:  patient to a point then focused on the task then surprisingly and blissfully generous.  Brooklyn:  patient almost to a fault, perhaps a little timid, but good things happen to those who wait…and especially to those who wait contentedly.  Lila:  hmmm…impatient maybe??  Excitable, eager, and ready for the next big adventure.

Three children and two more to go.

Three teeth and 110 teeth to go (give or take a few when adding in Eliot’s).

Three uniquely crafted temperaments (plus three more when their siblings are included)…………..And untold joy to discover in each.

Easter is almost here so I had to break from the blog posts I have been doing on each of the kids to properly recognize one of my favorite holidays!!  We are celebrating this time around as we have for the last 5 or 6 years – in Austin with a house full of family – nothing better!  All of the kids are super-excited for the festivities and the wall-to-wall fun…and hopefully someday they’ll be as excited as Casey and I are for the amazing opportunities for worship and praise that await us at Riverbend church!

I don’t know exactly what it is, but the Easter holiday seems to take on more and more significance in my heart with each passing year.  Casey and I first visited Riverbend Church on an Easter Sunday several years ago and we were instantly hooked on the atmosphere, the warmth, and the mission of the church – to serve the bruised, the battered, the broken and the bored of our community and world; reclaiming, restoring and reproducing for the cause of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God.  But it wasn’t until Eliot came along and then when the Quint Invasion took over our world that we realized fully the impact of what Christ did for us on the cross so long ago and continues to do for us today by his LIFE, LOVE, and GRACE.  There is not a doubt in our minds, He is risen!!

So I have a couple of quick stories that will put a smile on your face.  First, if you follow us on Facebook, you probably saw this little story about the absurd conversations our little ones somehow get us into.  It was too funny not to share here for those who didn’t catch it the first time around so here it goes again…

If you haven’t heard, we have been potty training since shortly after the Fab Five’s 3rd birthday in January.  It has been a tough few months, but we are about 95% potty trained!!!  And of course, you know we have had plenty of funny/frustrating/ridiculous times along the way to teaching 5 tots how to use the potty properly!!  So underwear and panties are now a big deal in our home, more importantly the cartoon character or Disney Princess that is on the underwear is what has become the topic of much discussion.  And this is how one of those discussions played out the other day…

Britton: “Ryan, do you like my Belle panties?”
Lila: “I want to see your Belle panties!”
Britton: “No, YOU can’t see my Belle panties ‘cuz YOU’RE not my best buddy!”
Me: “Oh no you didn’t, Britton – you are not going to be a brat like that! You show Lila your panties!”
Britton: “I caaaaann’t doooo it!”
Me: “Britton, you pull down your pants and show Lila your panties right now!”
Britton: “I caaaaaaannn’t!”
Me: “Britton, you pull down your pants and show Lila your panties or you’re going to timeout!”
(Britton pulls down sweatpants to show her panties)
Me: “See, Lila? See Britton’s panties…aren’t they pretty?”
Lila: (couldn’t care less about the panties)
Me: “Britton, pull your pants up…”

I’m pretty sure that one belongs in the Parent-to-Child-Conversation Wing of the Parenting Hall of Fame!  That exists, right?  The Hall of Fame of Parenting………??

And for story #2, we pick up the scene as the Jones family has embarked on another of Casey’s picture taking adventures, arriving to meet Casey’s crack dealer, Elle Mendenhall of Ella Bella Photography fame, in a field of Texas wildflowers.  This field, by the way, is incredible!  I have been sworn to secrecy as to its location, but let me just tell you, there is no better field of wildflowers, tall grasses, live oak trees, and all things that scream springtime in Texas…it is a slice of Heaven on Earth!

So we’re taking pictures and having a pretty good time with it because the kids are loving all of the flowers, Brooklyn most of all.  Our little princess, Brooklyn Faith is absolutely giddy in love and can’t take her eyes off of the Bluebonnets and Indian Paintbrushes as Elle snaps away.  Recognizing that Casey is about to faint from her feelings of elation from knowing she just might get the cutest photos ever taken of any child ever in the history of child photo taking, Elle goes in for the kill and pulls out……………..A BABY BUNNY!!!!!

OH…MY…………..GOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHH!!!!!!  Are you kidding me?????  At this point, I seriously begin to worry that both my wife and Brooklyn might die from an overdose on cuddly cuteness!!  Acute Cuddly Cuteness Trauma – trust me, it’s a medical condition – rarely seen, often fatal.  Against better judgment, we put the baby bunny in Brooklyn’s lap and she literally cannot stop giggling and glowing from her whole being as she looks down upon this helpless little creature before her.

You may not understand how much Brooklyn loves bunnies so let me make this abundantly clear:  the little girl’s world revolves around three things:  princesses, flowers, and bunnies!!  Every night at bedtime I go around to each of the kids to tuck them into bed and I ask them to tell me something good about their day.  You can imagine the responses I get – they are as varied and hilarious as the day is long.  But there is one constant to this routine – every time I get to Brooklyn and ask her the question, I get the same response:  “I love my bunny.”  Sometimes I get, “I love bunnies” and at other times I also get, “I love bunnies hopping in fields of flowers.”  Every! Single!! Night!!!  She never mentions princesses, doesn’t say anything about the color pink…it’s ALWAYS bunnies!!!

I’M NOT MAKING THIS UP!!!

Ok, Back to the story…

So this bunny, the physical manifestation of all that Brooklyn has dreamed of since before her first breath, is sitting in her very lap in a field of flowers no less!!  If it is possible to die, at the age of 3 no less, having achieved and experienced everything you have ever dreamed of in life, it would happen in this moment with Brooklyn, the bluebonnets, and the bunny!!  And for some reason, I seem to be the only adult who seems to be concerned about the possibility of Brooklyn’s spontaneous combustion before our very eyes!!!

And then it happens.

The bunny is still in Brooklyn’s lap and Brooklyn is still super-duper-crazy giddy with excitement when something else somehow catches her eye – the flowers!!!!  And suddenly it’s as if the baby bunny IN HER LAP does not exist as she giggles helplessly at the flowers surrounding her.

And then it happens again – something other than the flowers catches her eye – the bunny in her lap!!! And suddenly it is as if the flowers SURROUNDING HER do not exist as she giggles helplessly at the baby bunny.

And then, the flowers around her once again catch Brooklyn’s eyes and it’s as if the baby bunny IN HER LAP does not exist as she giggles helplessly once again at the flowers surrounding her.

And then, the bunny in her lap catches her eye and………….this carousel of bunnies and Bluebonnets goes around and around and around and around and could still be ongoing today if we had not pulled the bunny for fear that we would all die from Acute Cuddly Cuteness Trauma!!!!!

CLASSIC Brooklyn Faith, our sweet little princess…need I say more??

Yes, I will say one more thing:  HAPPY EASTER FROM THE JONES FAMILY!!!!!!!

God bless,

Ethan

P.S.  Elle is super slammed this time of year, but found time to get me the pics for this post! Thank you, Elle!!

She is without a doubt the sweetest little thing I have ever known and I seriously, seriously doubt that there will ever be a time in my life in which that statement will not be true…at least I hope not!  Brooklyn Faith is as girlie-girlie-girl as you can get and you could tell it from the day she was born.  From her big, beautiful, brown eyes, her long lashes, and her dainty smile to her super-sweet little cry, her giddiness over new outfits, and her ever present princess tiaras, Brooklyn is a princess through and through!  She loves pink and nothing else will do!  She dresses up as a princess and would not give a thought to doing otherwise.  She drinks out of a pink princess cup, eats off of a pink princess plate, throws major fits when she doesn’t get to wear her pink princess jammies, and really cares nothing about anything other than pink princesses!

She is Brooklyn Faith, aka:  Big B, Sweet Baby B, and somewhat surprisingly, our Goofy Gal.  Brooklyn is a silly heart and her goofiness is as heartwarming as is her big, beautiful smile!  While the other kids spend their days laughing, wrestling, and playing with each other, Big B spends a good deal of her time off in her own little world…somewhere bright and sunny and full of bunnies hopping through fields of flowers.  Yes, she is a bit of a space cadet with her head in the stars and her feet nowhere near the grounds of reality…something tells me she will be the object of no small amount of goodhearted, loving laughter and the cause of many, many confounded shakes of the head.

She is as easy going as a spring breeze, as warm as a summer sunset, as gentle as an autumn leaf falling to the ground, and as striking as fresh-fallen snow on the Aspens of Colorado.  She is all of that and more…as long as you don’t cross her!  As I am sure you know from every kid’s steady diet of Disney princess movies, a good princess is a strong princess, ready to fight for her love, to the death if necessary.  And when Brooklyn has been wronged, when the object of her love has been besmirched, Brooklyn will rise up and strike you down with the fury of a thousand bolts of lightning!  (Seriously, the girl will scratch, kick, and punch if you violate her space…we’re working on it…)

Truth be told, it is hard to say what kind of future is in store for us as Brooklyn continues to amble along on her life’s path.  Of course, we don’t really know what is in store for us with any of the kids, but with Brooklyn, it just seems a little bit more…….unclear.  She moves at a slower pace than the others, in all her ways, and her frequent flights to her own little world will definitely be a challenge when it comes time for the realities of kindergarten and beyond.  And I can only imagine the heartbreak that will befall our little butterfly when a rude and rowdy boy or a mercilessly mean little girl says something to offend the princess’s sensibilities.  Jeez, I can only imagine the heartbreak that will ensue when her bunny stuffty gets roughed up a bit or when she breaks her first fingernail or when a flower she has picked to wear in her hair wilts and dies without saying goodbye…forget about all of the truly difficult things that will come her way!!

As are all little girls, Brooklyn Faith is definitely a special little thing.  She is everything a little girl could possibly be – sugar and spice and everything nice…(except when you cross her!!  If you do that, you had better have said your prayers that day!)  Yes, it seems that God had an overabundance of love in his heart the day he knit Brooklyn together in her mother’s womb……….and we are all the richer for it!!!

God bless,

Ethan

The picture on this video isn’t great, but if you like the sound of baby belly laughs then this is for you! Ryan and Brooklyn were having a blast…doing what, no one will ever know!!





Eliot and Ryan had some fun together the other day…very cute!





Y’all enjoy!!
Ethan
www.JonesLife.net