A note of apology

To all those patrons of the SpringHill Suites (by Marriot) eating breakfast with us this morning between 8 and 9 AM:

I apologize for the unpleasantness that a woman and her children [specifically her three year old daughter] may have caused you this morning as you tried to enjoy making your waffles and drinking your hotel coffee.

The incident began when said three year old requested her mother cut her donut into smaller pieces and her mother made the ghastly error of cutting the donut into more pieces than the child wanted. Emotions escalated from there as the child was removed to a separate area of the dining room to sit in a chair while she got her attitude under control.

The 20 minutes of wailing and moaning was more for dramatic effect than anything else. Thank you for your patience. And thank you also for your continued stares and head shakes.

I can assure you that the mother was doing everything in her power to discipline the child in a calm and consistent way without completely loosing her cool. She would have fled to her hotel room much earlier in the fit pitching experience had her other two children not been still eating hungrily and acting so compliant and calm.

We hope this will not affect your patronage of hotel breakfast offerings in the future.
Sincerely,
Mother of children who do have meltdowns, often.

Oh, and Sarah, please forgive me for answering the call with "Hey, is this important?" If you could have seen me at that moment, you would have known that I was red faced and sweaty and attempting to gracefully exit my breakfast bar debachle! I fear that if Brooks and Reese get hold of this information that it could jeopardize my [self-declared] favorite aunt status. Can't wait to meet those little ones; September 17 cannot come soon enough!

Life's a Beach

Approximately 17 minutes into my workout this morning, I was paged to the kid's club. Now, our gym has a "no diaper change" policy, so I assumed that Jack was in need of a change. Turns out Bo and another little boy were "racing" and they ran into each other. This resulted in a nice little nosebleed for Bo. The workers were positively pale as they revealed my son, sitting on a table, with the front of his shirt covered in blood.

Fortunately for them, this was not Bo's first nosebleed, and I think they were greatly relieved at my casual reaction.

When I suggested to Bo that we go home and get him a new shirt, he enthusiastically replied, "wow mom, I think that is a really great idea!"

And so instead of a workout and then a trip to the library and the park, we settled for a morning at home doing chores.

Ella was taking care of "special baby" when she announced that it was time for a trip to the beach. It started with just special baby, but before too long, the kids were asking to put on their swimsuits.

Why not? You guys go for it!

Here's Ella waiting patiently for Bo to get dressed so they could "leave" for the beach.

Once Bo was dressed, I asked him to show me his muscles, and it was quite a show.

Ella quickly came to show me hers as well.

And 5 minutes of grunting and punching at the air was enjoyed by all.


They finally made it to the beach and had a grand time.

After I turned off the camera, I did suggest to Ella that she take some precaution for special baby's head in the water.

It was a great time, and I didn't even have to worry about sunburns, sand, or salty children :)

Boo Boo

I've noticed Jack's vocabulary absolutely exploding in these past few weeks. It's been fun to hear him communicate and begin to distinguish between grunts and actual words.

One of my favorite games is to put Jack's shorts up on his head while I change his diaper. He thinks it is absolutely hysterical to play with his shorts while I take care of his business for him.

Today, I put the shorts on his head, and he immediately put them over his face. A nano second later, he peeked out at me and said, "boo boo."

A rousing game of peek-a-boo ensued and we both had a blast.

He's going to be talking in no time!

Doxology

One of my favorite hymns/prayers is the Doxology. I remember singing it growing up in church, but we would also sing it as a family at times.

When we started planning our wedding, it was one of the first "must haves" on my list for the ceremony, and just so you're all witnesses, I'd like it sung at my funeral as well!

I've been working on it with the kids and while they were a little hesitant at first, I think they've really started to enjoy it. Bo has voiced that he thinks it's a little long!

Before bed, when the bigger kids pray, they have started sing-praying. It's typically just words about the day or words that make very little sense at all, but it mimics the idea behind the Doxology.

Tonight, Bo told me he was going to pray the Doxology:

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
Praise him all creatures here below.
Praise him above ye heavenly hosts.
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Amen.

Word for word.
In his precious voice.
With trembling melody.
And the most genuine spirit.

I melted.

Then Ella asked if she could do the Doxology as well.

Her version:

I try on ballet shoes then I eat.
I eat breakfast and lunch all the time.
[Brief Break in the song: "Mommy, what would happen if we put a bandaid on your nose?"]
Spinach for dinner is so good, and I love to eat.
Amen.

Also with genuine spirit...in her prettiest of pretty voices.

Oh, these children of mine!

Pics

I'm finally sorting through some of my pictures from the past few weeks and actually looking at them.

I love this shot of Ella at her birthday "party." Despite the fact that she looks like she is in serious pain, she was trying to convey her excitement about the cupcake. It's so rare that we actually have a shot of me and J with one of the kids too!

Oh, and maybe I'm loosing my mind here, but I remember hearing people joke about how married couples look more and more like one another the longer they are married. I don't know why, but I actually think that J and I may be starting to look alike. I never thought it before, but for some reason it really seems that way in this picture!

Jack sandwhich!

I absolutely love the look on Jack's face here. He was lovin' all the lovin'!

Morning In

We actually stayed close to home yesterday and today. A combination of weather and chores kept us all busy around the house instead of venturing out and about.

Typically, days at home are "learning days" for me. They most often reveal those areas of my own heart that need some work and I can easily find myself flustered and frustrated all before lunch!

For some reason, I've really enjoyed these past couple mornings at home. I think it's been a combination of planning on my part [not just letting the morning happen] and thankfullness that this is one more year I get to have my kids home to play with me! I know of so many other little ones who start school this year, and it's hard to bear the thought of sending Bo off to kindergarten next year!

So enough rambling...yesterday we spent some time painting. Everyone got into it!

Jack had a small amount of paint, and mommy helped quite a bit, but he really loved playing with the paintbrush.

Here's Ella telling me she painted the box [hence the "talking" face] and rocking the off the shoulder look, which I hear is quite in right how, actually!

We had several takes of Bo and his smile. I finally managed to get him to show me some teeth. Sometimes I can't believe how old he looks!


This morning we enjoyed chalk and bubbles outside at 80 degrees. Heavenly!

What if?

I had a little situation yesterday with Bo that was hard, really hard. I get teary just thinking about it, and I burst into tears last night when I was sharing what happened with J.

As a mother, there are so many situations that leave me wondering "what if?" It's a tenuous guesswork most days of doing more versus doing less and ultimately finding the right balance. I see God's hand of goodness evidenced in even the most mundane and it breaks me.

As we were exiting the gym yesterday, the kids galloped down the ramp as usual and waited for me at the curb near the street. I scooped up Jack, grabbed two little hands, and we made our way past a car to the open part of the parking lot. I stopped to look and noticed a car approaching. It was not close or even going all that fast, but I made the decision that we should stop and wait for the car to pass.

It was at that moment of decision that Bo broke free from our little pack and ran merrily into the street ahead of me. I immediately went after him, dragging poor Ella, and hurred him across the rest of the way. The car hardly even seemed aware of our crossing and due to the pace at which we crossed the street, there was no real danger.

I cupped Bo's hand in my face and fussed him a good one, shaking and trembling all the way. Once we were all in the car and buckled in, I absolutely broke down in tears and sobbed my way out of the parking lot. The magnitude of the situation was just too great. The "what if" was just too real.

And as I explained to J later that evening, in the moment before Bo went running off, I was doing everything "right." I had all the hands. I had explained my expectations. The children know the rules for crossing streets and looking for cars.

As we sat down for lunch, I asked Bo if he understood why I was so upset with his action in the parking lot. I explained to him in a more detailed way why what he had done was so dangerous and why it hurt me so. I felt like I needed to come back to the subject when I could be less emotional and more concrete. When I finished my explanation, Bo was silent for a long moment.

"Mom," he finally said. "I'm really sorry that I ran out into the street. That was wrong and I should not have done it. Will you forgive me?"

I melted at that point into a puddle of tears at the table. Overwhelmed at the heart of my little boy and his most genuine repentance. Overwhelmed that God had so clearly protected us all from what could have been a terrible moment, a terrible day, a wounded lifetime.

And today, I find myself once again broken for mothers who have no hope. Who must walk their children into destruction willingly, and I can't even imagine the pain they must feel. The "what ifs" that keep them tossing and turning with every pregnancy.

I find myself once again longing.
Longing for a perfect world, free from sin, pain, death, and all the what ifs...

Where's my ponytail?

I mentioned that Ella got two more birthday packages this weekend. And the birthday celebration lives on!

J's parents sent this pink pony complete with hairstyling kit.

It was a few minutes of exploring each piece and figuring out the purpose and function of each one.

And it's been nothing but fun since then! My favorite thing is that Ella fondly refers to the toy as her "ponytail." We spent quite a bit of time today putting together the perfect hairstyle.

Thanks Grandaddy and Marmee-we officially have a "ponytail" lover!

Taps

It was just a little over a year ago that we spent the better part of a day out in the backyard putting a flower bed in behind the house. It was shortly after we had the patio put in, and we wanted something so that the space looked finished.

Bo really got into helping, and together he and J put in some pavers and some day lilies in an attempt to make the space look "landscaped."

Unfortunately, due to some heavy rains and the shifting soils in that area, the flower bed had to come out and the patio extension is supposed to be poured sometime in the next week or so.

As J began digging out the carefully planted bulbs and pavers, he commented that "Taps" should be playing somewhere. It was kind of sad to undo all that hard work!

Once again, Bo was so eager to help. Who can resist digging in the dirt?

All the kids actually helped for a little bit, and once we got nice and sweaty, we took a little break for some fruit waters.

Jack's attention span is the most limited and he was so content to wander around the backyard until he discovered the slide. The child could not be convinced that climbing up the slide was not how it was done. There was some of this...

And quite a bit of this...

I finally convinced him to take a break from the slide and enjoy some time on the swings. We were all happier with that arrangement, and Ella was happy to take her place as chief pusher!

The boys relocated the bulbs over to the other side of the yard and we called it a day when it was time for lunch.

It was a morning of sweaty work, but it was certainly worth it!

Birthday Hangover

I can't believe it's been almost a week since I posted. Things have been a little crazy with all the happenings of the week.

After a day of
new dress up dresses,

an exciting new camera,

and personally chosen meals, [Corn was the must have of the birthday dinner!] Ella's not particularly enjoyed the reality of every day not being all about her!

Oh, and since Papa departed Tuesday, and Gigi departed Thursday, we've been busy getting life back into some semblance of routine this weekend.


Needless to say it was fun for all to have all the extra attention [not to mention the birthday cake :)].
Ella has two more birthday packages that came today so that should be the end of birthday for this year. Whew!

Where does it go?

The time that is.
J and I were commenting the other day that it's nearly impossible to believe that Ella had not joined our family when we first moved out here.

It was almost three years ago exactly that they said "it's a girl" and placed this in my arms...

A girl, really? A girl! We were so excited.

Bo warmed up to his new sister over time, but he was a little hesitant at first.

I can't believe that three years later we've got a walking, talking, big girl bed sleeping, and happy to go in the potty three year old little girl!

What a blessing it is to be your mom, Ella. Love you so much!

Date with Daddy

Earlier this week, J asked Ella if he could take her on a date to celebrate her birthday. There truly are not words to describe how excited she was about this event. She's been peppering me with questions all week: "When is it going to be Friday? When do I get to go on my date? Where will daddy take me?"

On Tuesday, she declared, "I will wear the dress with brown squares and pink triangles!"

And so, every day since then, she's asked when she gets to put on her special dress. It took until Thursday to decide which shoes would accompany the outfit, but once that was out of the way, we just had the hairstlyle left.

We decided on one side with most of her hair down because she wanted me to make it pretty. Let's just say I'm thankful that we have at least a decade before the real dating begins!

Here she is all ready for her big date...

There was an unfortunate incident earlier in the day where her beloved purple bracelet broke, and she was a little stressed about the jewelery situation. Daddy had already planned to surprise her with a new bracelet for their evening out and the timing could not have been more perfect.

"Oh, is that for me?"

"It's so pretty!"

And this final shot is the one that made me burst into tears. I'm blaming it mostly on the pregnancy hormones, BUT I'm not sure anything better conveyed her excitement at that moment than the look on her face!

How did my baby girl suddenly become a three year old?

Apparently the date was a big success, and Ella asked multiple times when she was going to get to go on a date with daddy again. When J told her that he needed to be sure and take mommy on some dates too, Ella replied, "Well, how about you just take me and mommy next time!"

Crazy Hair!

Jack's hair always seems to be doing something funky. Even the pediatrician commented about it at our last visit. No amount of water, combing, or hair product seems to help. And so, Jack's hair is most often wild!


I love this shot of my [oh, so suddenly] big boy.

As soon as Ella saw the camera, she insisted that I take some pictures of her in her "pretty bracelets" while she did her ballet.

And lest you think I'm one of those moms who has it all together and I have my children dressed in coordinating outfits with combed hair every day, here's the truth: these pictures were taken shortly before dinner.

And then we went outside to play in our pajamas.

At 5:45 PM.

The kids certainly didn't seem to mind a "pajama party" day. It was one of those mornings/early afternoons where it stormed and stormed and stormed. Things cleared up shortly after lunch, but by then we were doing naps and by the time everyone was up from naps it didn't make a whole lot of sense to get dressed!

Big fun in our pajamas...with crazy hair. But at least they all had on two shoes :)

Oh, and I should add that I was, in fact, dressed for the entire day. The kids opted for a pajama party, but I've found that my day is entirely different if I put actual clothes on. Things don't often go so well if I stay in pjs!

Longing

I will admit that there is a healthy amount of longing in my life these days. As a sister and multiple sisters-in-law swell with new life, I long to be close enough to be a part of the experience.

As J studies dilligently for his two upcoming exams in the next ten months, I long to see him finished with the seeminly endless series of tests that have defined his career over the past seven years.

As I feel this little one spin and kick inside me, I long to meet her and hold her.

A move to another new state, new city, and new community looms in the not-so-distant future, and I long to feel settled and at home.

I've been reading a seriously amazing book that has spoken to that longing in ways that I could not have even imagined! Heaven by Randy Alcorn is worth your time! I find myself really getting excited about eternity.

In the midst of that journey, I finally got around tonight to listening a sermon that my mom suggested a looooong time ago. "Longing" by David McNeely is also worth your time! You can go here to listen, or check out more about David and who he is here. David was one of the youth pastors on staff with our church when I was in high school. He was one of the greatest influences on me spiritually during my adolescent years, and I have continued to be amazed, encouraged, and challenged by the journey of his family.

And now, I am longing for bed! I was trying to wait up for J to get home from his late night of work, but I don't think I'm going to make it...

Brotherhood of the traveling shoe

You may or may not remember my recent adventure to get some shoes for Jack. He loves the shoes and I can tell he feels like such a big boy in them. However, we have a little bit of a problem keeping track of the shoes!

I try to put them up on the dryer as we come into the house because if Jack finds them, he tends to wander all over the house with them dropping them in whatever random place he feels so inclined. In addition, he's learned how to take them off, so we when we are out and about, I try to always be on the lookout for flying shoes!

This past weekend, I went out of town for Friday night. It was a brief trip, but J was in charge of the kids Friday evening and Saturday morning. They had a blast, and I think it was a much needed breather for me.

I was none too surprised when we were heading out the door for church and J informed me that only one of Jack's shoes could be found. I immediately start the hunt [half dressed and only half ready for church] when he informs me it's been missing for quite a while.

Like since early Saturday morning.

Okay, so no shoes for Jack for church.

We hunted for most of the afternoon and evening with no success. It wasn't until I was putting away the laundry from my laundry basket Monday morning that I found the missing shoe.

Whew!

Today, I put Jack in the car with two shoes on, and by the time we got to Target he was down to one. I ransacked the car with no luck, so it was Target and the library with the shoeless wonder.

I was hopeful that he'd thrown it out of the car without my knowledge while I was loading the big kids for our errands.

Sure enough, there it was in the middle of the garage when we got home two hours later. I'm starting to think it will be a miracle if we can keep up with these shoes until it gets a little cooler and I can put something on him that he won't be able to pull off.

Until then, I may just be the mom whose kid only wears one shoe :)

Nesting Busyness = Photo Post

Who doesn't love a good bounce house?

Even Jack got in on the fun!

Why are there so few pictures of me? you ask.
This is what happens when my husband has control of the camera:


Note: All of these pictures are from the recent "birthday party" that our church had to celebrate 100 years of meeting together! It's wild to think that the church has been in the same place for so long! We had fun at the birthday party and church lunch celebrating with our church family.