Painted: An Adventure in Stop Motion Body Art

Incredible.


 "I could really get into body painting.  We should take a Saturday with the kids and do body paint, then take naps"- Zander



Okay!
On the spot I came up with this elaborate story that would require the
focus and patience of a brain surgeon in active combat.  They wouldn't
last 5 seconds. Zander thought painting everyone's alter egos instead.


Presenting......



Cora
as Corzilla- pleasures in the destruction of small block cities and
pinching unsuspecting victims till they scream. (I'm not sure this is
her alter ego as much as it is true identity)


Ender as a Born-Again-Goliath - biggest baddest evangelical Christian


Leslie as a contortionist in Cique du Soliel


Zander as Wolfman- Um.. His choice.  Mine, well, Dog the Bounty Hunter


More inspiration.....

Easter

I saw Gunther affirm is devotion to the little cretin, Cora.  Ender accidentally pushed Cora down while swinging.  Knocked off balance and irritated she cried.  I asked Ender to apologize and help her up. He went to attempt a rescue, but Gunther bounded in between Cora, gently pushing Ender away from her with his nose.  He kept it up until Ender backed away and Cora found her own footing once again.
We have always laughed at the idea that Gunther is partial to her, but I never really saw it until then.
Thats Cora, you know.  She is a natural at life and relationships.
I was too forced with Ender.  I tried too hard to create his world, but his world was already there for his taking. Cora has shown me that I'm simply her bubble encasing her  as we  float whichever way the Wind blows.
Her life is worry free.  Her personality charms the sox off me.  She exists to be loved.  In a sense she is someone I want to be.  I want to exist to be loved and let the rest of life fall in line behind.  Her laughter transports me to another place where Time is not bitter, but a sweet,endless sea.  And she just came into being without me reading any  baby education textbooks, websites, or well meaning advice.  I hardly even prayed over her when she was incubating inside of me.  I ignored the wild imagination of God.  I knew He was up to something, but I didn't have time to give a second thought towards it. 
Ender as the firstborn got the short end of the parenting stick.  He had to absorb all my undue worry.  All is not lost though :)  His sister has come with a message from God and I'm all ears.  Ender has already tasted the good freedom of his parents choosing Love first.  Its our mantra, our battle cry.  Right now Cora is safe in her innocence.  The easiness of Love will unfortunately wear off and she will have to join us in the fight.  But I have confidence in our Creator to carry her through it. 

in the bunker, one of her favorite places to observe ender's antics.  gunther will often sit by her here.

he will endure her sharp claws and her futile attempts at being gentle when petting his head.

The spring came suddenly, 

bursting upon the world as a child bursts into a room, 

with a laugh and a shout and hands full of flowers.

I'm usually given a handful of mud or soggy crackers from Cora.  She is such a little thumbtack.

 

Last year, our barren yard had only a few wild flowers, which are miniature snap dragons. Truly, a flower that grows rightly well at the home of our very own Ender the dragon Slayer/Tamer.  Zander convinced me to let the scraggly things go to seed.  So I bore the silly humiliation of having our gravel yard dotted with dead weedy things.  He handpicked all the unwanted weeds and helped along the wildflowers to spread their love. I wasn't a believer in reseeding.  It just seemed too magical and not bought beautifully grown already from Bakers Nursery. 

Zander and nature proved me wrong.  Our yard was full of wildflowers. Yeah yeah yeah, from a distance it still looked like an unkempt lawn, but given a closer look, rainbows would suddenly splash through crushed granite and brick.

 

Flowers that just spring up seem like the friendliest kind. 

 

I remember when I was a kid, I wanted to be a kid forever.  I especially thought that on stormy days when the whipped through my hair and I feigned illness to stay home from school.  I especially thought that when I babysat children younger than me.  I was also disillusioned about being a mom.  As I scoffed at other moms for being utterly boring (God forgive my puff and pride) I determined I would live a fantastic and free life with my future babies. 
When Ender came along, suddenly every mom I saw had my utmost respect regardless of lifestyle.  They were demigods, and I nearly worshipped them, in awe, wondering, how they ever did it!  The simple tasks in my life (getting out of bed, nursing ender, changing his diaper right after his circumcision) were miracles.   Every second of survival was triumph.  I loved being there.  The world was an inspiring place. 
Over time as Ender became more independent, I too became more independent of God.  Seriously, the media has taken over in defining me and placing value on me and my mothering.  I reek of false perceptions of the world.  Turn my heart inside out and its grotesque.
All this to say, I think I need to make some practical, seemingly small choices in my life.  For instance, adios Facebook.

Simple. Petty.  But so profound for me.  I'd like to be a kid again.  I know I'm not being clear in making the connection between childhood and social media, but I'm afraid I would get too wordy if I tried to type it out.  Besides, I'm not entirely sure myself. 

One Saturday morning, (I love Saturdays by the way.  Zander is home) we were listening loudly to music, as usual.  Zander turned on some Elvis song that he says will be his and Cora's song at her wedding.  Oh brother.  Anyway, he gets up to dance with Cora and Ender gets upset for whatever reason.
I explain,  "Ender, let daddy dance with his little girl.  One day she will grow up and get married and daddy just wants to practice dancing to their wedding song.  Like you, bud, you will grow up one day and leave us...."  What a sad thing to say to a precious three year old.

He immediately freaked out and ran to our room, slammed the door and threw himself on the bed, crying.  Realizing he's having an existential crisis, I try to clean up my mess. I tell him that its ridiculous to think any of us will ever grow up!  Because the more we grow big and strong in Jesus's arms, the more childlike we become.  Daddy and Mommy are children too. (he didn't like that though, too scary), but I just continued to ramble on about being a kid forever and because we have Jesus in our hearts/tummies, we will never have to be apart.  At some point during my spiel, he started laughing and all was well.

Ender climbs above our couch to escape Corzilla,

Happy hearts and happy faces,
Happy play in grassy places-

That was how, in ancient ages,

Children grew to kings and sages.