You Know You're an MK When (Revisited) . . .

Recently Aden came out to the kitchen where I was working and asked me to help him put his rather full backpack on his back. As I helped him, I asked, "Where are you going?" "Me and Wiley are going on furlough. We're taking some clothes and Bibles. ... We're going to go to all the places we went on furlough, and when we come back, we'll tell you what a good time we had and what we did." It was then that I realized that it's time for another "What Makes an MK" Post. Keep in mind that this list comes from the perspective of 2-4 year-olds.

You know you're an MK when . . .

. . . you go on furlough in your pretend play.

. . . the word "generator" is not only a part of your vocabulary, but you understand what a generator does and how it works.

. . . you think you should know someone on every commercial airplane you hear flying overhead - and if you don't know who it is, you ask someone who does - "Who is on that plane, Mommy?"

. . . you are accustomed to receiving charity, asking "Who gave us this?" instead of "Where did we buy/get this?"

. . . your doctor is also your "uncle" or "auntie".

. . . instead of a race track-themed birthday cake, you opt for a rough, rocky road cake.

. . . your baby book includes poorly-attempted or rejected passport photos. (Here are some of Noah's.)



. . . a radio is a communication/security device, rather than a music/talk show broadcast system.

. . . an empty hospital makes a perfect playground.

. . . you are on a first-name basis with the neighborhood security guard and ask him to take you for walks or play with you.


. . . you share underwear with your brother.

. . . you think Mommy looks "like a boy" when you see her in pants.

Mr. Milestone

Noah doesn't seem to get as much "blog time" as his brothers, and so far he doesn't seem to mind. But he is making great strides developmentally, and we thought we should post about some of his accomplishments before he starts crawling! At four months, Noah is sleeping through the night, weighs 12 lbs, 10.5oz, and is 25 5/8 inches long.

Noah can also roll over from tummy to back and back to tummy. He started this a few weeks ago when Daddy was in the Solomon Islands (and Mommy was too busy to blog, since everyone was sick that week). One morning when Aden and Wiley were too sick to do much of anything, Mommy agreed that they could watch a video. She put Noah on the floor on his tummy, and then turned around to turn on the television. When she turned around, Noah was on his back! I guess it is pretty amazing that with three children this is the first milestone she's missed. Maybe Noah just figured that if Daddy wasn't there to see it, he didn't want anyone else to see it either. So, even though he was urged many times over the next several days to repeat his new trick, he waited until the next week when Daddy was home and everyone was watching and cheering him on until he finally rolled over again. Something about it scared him, and he slowly started to cry. Maybe it's because our hardwood floors are a bit too hard for him, but we haven't seen him too eager to roll all over the floor yet. Although within the next week or two, he was rolling the other way also, from back to tummy. He seems pretty social and already has a special bond with his brothers and his Daddy, almost instinctively realizing he's one of the boys.

PNG X-Games?

This past week, the boys have been wanting to ride their bikes just about everyday. Aden has his little bicycle with training wheels and Wiley has a little three-wheeler, with pedals. He can't quite reach the pedals, but has managed to get around well (and fairly fast) by just using his feet on the ground in Fred Flinstone-like fashion. They like to go down to the old hospital where there are sidewalks.
Due to four out of five people in the house having colds this past week, we didn't quite make it everyday. Not to worry. When they can't coax Mommy or Daddy into taking them, they have found ways to still ride around in the yard (if it has been mowed) or on the back or front porch. Space is pretty limited on the porch though, and riding around in circles can get pretty boring.
One day, they were riding around on the front porch. It is probably the smallest space we have, being just a narrow deck about 15 feet long and 4 feet wide. It has a rail around it, except for where the stairs are at one end. It is raised off the ground a few feet, and has 3 1/2 cement steps coming up to it. To make it more difficult for them, it has a few chairs to maneuver around. They managed to have fun though, riding from one end to the other and playing games. I am sure you know what is coming....
Aden knows how to use his brakes by pressing his pedals backwards. We don't know if he didn't do it soon enough or what exactly happened, but he went flying off the end of the porch and down the steps. Uncle Bill heard the cry and came running from across the road. Mommy came running from inside the house. Nobody saw it, but they heard it. He seemed to be alright, with a few scratches, bumps and a swollen lip. Daddy came home from work and asked him what happened. His response was, "I rode down the stairs. I tried to land on my wheels at the bottom, but I didn't make it and the bike landed on me." This sounds more like something his former-skateboarding Daddy would have done. Maybe we have had this coming. Good thing he is going to be getting a bike helmet for his 4th birthday next week. Although, maybe it should be an early gift.