Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Goose-stepping
Hunter LOVES walking around. Seriously. He's happiest when we're assisting him on his adventures, and that really is all that we're doing. He dictates the direction, and we just "support" him (literally). I know we're crazy for doing this since he's not even eight months old yet, but boy, it is fun watching him. Enjoy!
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
The Mommy "To Do" List
Last week's post sort of inspired this one, though I'm in a better frame-of-mind this time around (read: this week has been MUCH better than last). The "Mommy To Do List" is a bit daunting and overwhelming, especially when laid out (see below) in list-format (for all us Type As out there), and never-ending, but I wouldn't trade this list, this job, and all its requirements for anything else in the world.
"To Do" (in no particular order of importance)
*Clean the house
-Includes: washing dishes, doing laundry, dusting, vacuuming, scrubbing the bathrooms, wiping spilled milk (peas, pears, etc.), picking up toys, organizing toys, making beds, changing sheets
*Manage the household
-Includes: run errands, plan meals, make meals, buy gifts, organize social calendar, pay bills, update friends/ family (via letters, email, blog, etc.)
*Raise the kids (yes, Daddy helps, too)
-Includes: clothe them, wash them, teach them manners, teach them right from wrong, help them with art projects (stickers, play-doh, paint, etc.), teach them to share, discipline them, potty-train them, play with them, love them (not always easy in the midst of a temper tantrum), hug them, kiss them, celebrate their successes, comfort them in their failures, encourage them, read to them, sing to them, dance with them, praying with them
*Set a good example
-Includes: dressing daily (not just in sweats!), putting on make-up, doing my hair (ponytails don't count), spending time in God's Word, finding time for hobbies, forgiving, being gracious, loving (when I don't feel like it), balancing time with friends & family
Ugh. I'm exhausted just looking at this list, and I know it's incomplete! Still, I'm grateful for the opportunity to make this list, even if I'll never fully complete it. After all, sweet moments with my babies and my husband outweigh the demands of a list any day.
"To Do" (in no particular order of importance)
*Clean the house
-Includes: washing dishes, doing laundry, dusting, vacuuming, scrubbing the bathrooms, wiping spilled milk (peas, pears, etc.), picking up toys, organizing toys, making beds, changing sheets
*Manage the household
-Includes: run errands, plan meals, make meals, buy gifts, organize social calendar, pay bills, update friends/ family (via letters, email, blog, etc.)
*Raise the kids (yes, Daddy helps, too)
-Includes: clothe them, wash them, teach them manners, teach them right from wrong, help them with art projects (stickers, play-doh, paint, etc.), teach them to share, discipline them, potty-train them, play with them, love them (not always easy in the midst of a temper tantrum), hug them, kiss them, celebrate their successes, comfort them in their failures, encourage them, read to them, sing to them, dance with them, praying with them
*Set a good example
-Includes: dressing daily (not just in sweats!), putting on make-up, doing my hair (ponytails don't count), spending time in God's Word, finding time for hobbies, forgiving, being gracious, loving (when I don't feel like it), balancing time with friends & family
Ugh. I'm exhausted just looking at this list, and I know it's incomplete! Still, I'm grateful for the opportunity to make this list, even if I'll never fully complete it. After all, sweet moments with my babies and my husband outweigh the demands of a list any day.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
One of those... weeks
Who knows how long this will be since I have a rather upset almost-three-year-old upstairs whining and fussing (I've been trying to ignore her in the hopes that she'll stop). That basically epitomizes what kind of week it's been ... since last FRIDAY. Oh yes.
I'm so grateful that this is only a season, though, for I don't know how I could endure this for longer than that. (Though that does make me think about Hebrews 12:1-3, but that's in reference to faith in general. Course, the only thing getting me through Leah's tantrum right now is God's grace.)
It's just been one thing after another, after another. An almost two-hour doctor's appointment for Leah (last week). No time to accomplish anything on my list. Hunter teething (not sleeping well). Scott studying for a promotion at work. Long mornings with pokey kiddos which translates to less time to run errands which means committing another day to errand-running. Running errands with two kids (Nuff said!). Leah not napping (though she desperately needs one). Clean the house? What's that? Oh, items #97 on the list.
You get the idea.
Thankfully, yesterday was a bit of a reprieve. And it was all God. See, I certainly wasn't any more productive yesterday (in reality, I was much less), but His perfect grace and peace encompassed my being, allowing me to accept my lack of productivity... and be okay with it.
I'm so grateful that this is only a season, though, for I don't know how I could endure this for longer than that. (Though that does make me think about Hebrews 12:1-3, but that's in reference to faith in general. Course, the only thing getting me through Leah's tantrum right now is God's grace.)
It's just been one thing after another, after another. An almost two-hour doctor's appointment for Leah (last week). No time to accomplish anything on my list. Hunter teething (not sleeping well). Scott studying for a promotion at work. Long mornings with pokey kiddos which translates to less time to run errands which means committing another day to errand-running. Running errands with two kids (Nuff said!). Leah not napping (though she desperately needs one). Clean the house? What's that? Oh, items #97 on the list.
You get the idea.
Thankfully, yesterday was a bit of a reprieve. And it was all God. See, I certainly wasn't any more productive yesterday (in reality, I was much less), but His perfect grace and peace encompassed my being, allowing me to accept my lack of productivity... and be okay with it.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Seven Months
For once, thinking of a blog topic was easy; today is Hunter's seven-month birthday, so now's the perfect time for an update, no?
Our little man is officially crawling, army-style. Every so often, he'll hitch to his knees, but he hasn't figured out how to move while in that position. No matter. Scott and I don't think Hunter will stick with crawling once he figures out/ is strong enough to walk. Even now, he prefers "walking" (see photo). Seriously. When he's "walking", he's even happier than usual. AND he directs us where to go (usually to Leah's Jeep or some other toy).
Now that we've introduced solids, I'm hoping that the little man will gain weight a bit more consistently. He seems to enjoy his food, especially the fruit, but sometimes I wonder if the play factor is more appealing to him. Just yesterday, I left him alone with his breakfast while I walked a friend out. What was I thinking?! When I came back, he had managed to dump the rest of his cereal out on the tray... and into his chair. Oh my.
Have I mentioned his tooth? His first tooth showed up at the beginning of this month, and we're expecting a second one any day based on the excessive drooling lately. This means he's gnawing on EVERYTHING in sight.
We're slowly but surely learning the differences between Hunter and Leah's personalities. While Leah loved books even as an infant, Hunter prefers anything with music and lights. Occasionally, he'll sit still for one and maybe two stories, but that's only if he has another book to chew on. He's already shown an interest in Leah's toys, which isn't a problem now, especially the fireplace in her dollhouse (it lights up and plays music, see note above). He also loves playing "food" with me and Leah. Basically, he just loves playing with Leah period.
Here's to my happy, cuddly baby boy. Happy seven-month birthday!
Our little man is officially crawling, army-style. Every so often, he'll hitch to his knees, but he hasn't figured out how to move while in that position. No matter. Scott and I don't think Hunter will stick with crawling once he figures out/ is strong enough to walk. Even now, he prefers "walking" (see photo). Seriously. When he's "walking", he's even happier than usual. AND he directs us where to go (usually to Leah's Jeep or some other toy).
Now that we've introduced solids, I'm hoping that the little man will gain weight a bit more consistently. He seems to enjoy his food, especially the fruit, but sometimes I wonder if the play factor is more appealing to him. Just yesterday, I left him alone with his breakfast while I walked a friend out. What was I thinking?! When I came back, he had managed to dump the rest of his cereal out on the tray... and into his chair. Oh my.
Have I mentioned his tooth? His first tooth showed up at the beginning of this month, and we're expecting a second one any day based on the excessive drooling lately. This means he's gnawing on EVERYTHING in sight.
We're slowly but surely learning the differences between Hunter and Leah's personalities. While Leah loved books even as an infant, Hunter prefers anything with music and lights. Occasionally, he'll sit still for one and maybe two stories, but that's only if he has another book to chew on. He's already shown an interest in Leah's toys, which isn't a problem now, especially the fireplace in her dollhouse (it lights up and plays music, see note above). He also loves playing "food" with me and Leah. Basically, he just loves playing with Leah period.
Here's to my happy, cuddly baby boy. Happy seven-month birthday!
Happy Birthday!
Scene from yesterday's breakfast.
Hunter loves standing up in his high chair...
especially if Leah's waiting for him on the other side!
Walker, Texas Baby
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
New Year, New Endeavor
I'm not one for New Year's resolutions, but for some reason, posting a new calendar on the wall inspires me to start a new project. This started a couple years ago just by chance:
*2010: Read through the Bible in a year.
*2011: Compose a list of 52 qualities I love about my hubby (I listed one for every week of the year; that way, I could stay on top of it).
*2012: A year in photos.
I hadn't exactly planned on undertaking this challenge, at least not this year. After all, I'm just trying to take enough regular photos of Hunter to document his first year. But somehow, I was compelled to complete this task. A few years ago, I read about a woman who had done just that: she took a photo EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR. The subjects and images didn't have to be spectacular or indicative of major events. In fact, some were of the mundane, apparently. The point was, it was a visual record of her family's year. Brilliant!
So far, so good. There are a few photos that I never would have taken in the first place (like Leah's sandwich pizza or her stuffed lion playing food), but they capture who we are and some of what we do regularly. If I can maintain this momentum, then the end result should be fun to peruse. Granted, scrapbooking allows me to do the same thing (basically), but the only photos that make it into a book are those that warrant significance (or are especially cute). Thus, the mundane, day-to-day living often gets neglected.
So here's to this new undertaking, this new journey. Enjoy some sneak peaks of our year so far.
*2010: Read through the Bible in a year.
*2011: Compose a list of 52 qualities I love about my hubby (I listed one for every week of the year; that way, I could stay on top of it).
*2012: A year in photos.
I hadn't exactly planned on undertaking this challenge, at least not this year. After all, I'm just trying to take enough regular photos of Hunter to document his first year. But somehow, I was compelled to complete this task. A few years ago, I read about a woman who had done just that: she took a photo EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR. The subjects and images didn't have to be spectacular or indicative of major events. In fact, some were of the mundane, apparently. The point was, it was a visual record of her family's year. Brilliant!
So far, so good. There are a few photos that I never would have taken in the first place (like Leah's sandwich pizza or her stuffed lion playing food), but they capture who we are and some of what we do regularly. If I can maintain this momentum, then the end result should be fun to peruse. Granted, scrapbooking allows me to do the same thing (basically), but the only photos that make it into a book are those that warrant significance (or are especially cute). Thus, the mundane, day-to-day living often gets neglected.
So here's to this new undertaking, this new journey. Enjoy some sneak peaks of our year so far.
Dinner-time antics.
Sandwich pizza.
"No pictures, please!"
A lion has to eat, too.
Cuddle time with my babies. (This was extra special since Hunter doesn't usually sit and listen to a book.)
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Sacrificial Love
In our small group, we've been reading about being Godly parents, and using the Gospel as our guide for child-rearing. The second-to-last chapter discussed the importance of loving sacrificially, and the timing of it couldn't have been better.
Loving sacrificially (as Christ did for us) entails giving up some things for the benefit of our children. The chapter focused on great sacrifices we might make such as a career move or a luxurious vacation, but I immediately thought of the little sacrifices that I must be willing to make daily. See, I'm okay with the larger ones (though at times I do wish we didn't have to stick to a budget and could just purchase this or that without saving for it), but it's the daily smaller instances that really challenge me.
And this past Sunday was the perfect reminder of said sacrifices that I'm called to make. Scrapbooking is my creative outlet, my re-charge and decompress time. Unfortunately, despite my best efforts at working on it weekly, since Hunter's arrival, I haven't had the luxury of maintaining the albums. If I can't get to it during the week, I do try to work on it on Sundays, and so I had planned to do so the other day. Silly me.
We had just put the kids down for their naps, and I myself was a bit sleepy, so I decided to lie down for a bit (go figure that I never should have in the first place because I couldn't sleep anyway) with the intent of working on my album afterward. (I should have known.) Upon "waking", Hunter woke up, and wanted to eat. ("What?! He didn't sleep long enough!" I thought.) So, I fed him, played with him, then put him back down.... only to get Leah up from her nap. (Where was Scott? I had already given him permission to go for a motorcycle ride after my nap.)
Yesterday, though I hadn't planned on scrapbooking, was a repeat of Sunday when it came to quiet time for me. There wasn't any. It's as if God really wanted to hammer home this point about making sacrifices as a parent.
Now I know that giving up a hobby or some quiet time isn't easy or ideal, and in fact, I truly think that all parents NEED some downtime on a regular basis so that we can be better parents. However, we are called to die to ourselves (make sacrifices) so that our children might live. In this case, I need to give up that downtime (on occasion), so that my children's needs are met. When I really stop to offer them what they need (an extra cuddle, a snack, etc.), then my love for them is stoked, allowing me to love them even more.
Loving sacrificially (as Christ did for us) entails giving up some things for the benefit of our children. The chapter focused on great sacrifices we might make such as a career move or a luxurious vacation, but I immediately thought of the little sacrifices that I must be willing to make daily. See, I'm okay with the larger ones (though at times I do wish we didn't have to stick to a budget and could just purchase this or that without saving for it), but it's the daily smaller instances that really challenge me.
And this past Sunday was the perfect reminder of said sacrifices that I'm called to make. Scrapbooking is my creative outlet, my re-charge and decompress time. Unfortunately, despite my best efforts at working on it weekly, since Hunter's arrival, I haven't had the luxury of maintaining the albums. If I can't get to it during the week, I do try to work on it on Sundays, and so I had planned to do so the other day. Silly me.
We had just put the kids down for their naps, and I myself was a bit sleepy, so I decided to lie down for a bit (go figure that I never should have in the first place because I couldn't sleep anyway) with the intent of working on my album afterward. (I should have known.) Upon "waking", Hunter woke up, and wanted to eat. ("What?! He didn't sleep long enough!" I thought.) So, I fed him, played with him, then put him back down.... only to get Leah up from her nap. (Where was Scott? I had already given him permission to go for a motorcycle ride after my nap.)
Yesterday, though I hadn't planned on scrapbooking, was a repeat of Sunday when it came to quiet time for me. There wasn't any. It's as if God really wanted to hammer home this point about making sacrifices as a parent.
Now I know that giving up a hobby or some quiet time isn't easy or ideal, and in fact, I truly think that all parents NEED some downtime on a regular basis so that we can be better parents. However, we are called to die to ourselves (make sacrifices) so that our children might live. In this case, I need to give up that downtime (on occasion), so that my children's needs are met. When I really stop to offer them what they need (an extra cuddle, a snack, etc.), then my love for them is stoked, allowing me to love them even more.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
New Year, New Look
Thought I'd mix up the features on my blog just a bit this year. So, instead of a running slide show, I thought I'd add a weekly vocabulary word, sort of as an homage to my time as an English teacher. (Here's an interesting tidbit that you might not know about me when it comes to vocabulary: I have a rather limited one. Most are surprised to hear that-- "But you're an English teacher!"-- but it's true. I attribute it to being a visual learner [vocabulary is not our forte].)
Anyway, I thought "Words for the Wise" (as in, a stronger, broader vocabulary can make anyone appear wiser and more intelligent) might be beneficial to me as well as others. Feel free to suggest other words or ways to improve that column.
In the meantime, I pray that when face with a crisis of faith, you cling to it, focusing on its truths, rather than committing apostasy. For what is faith if it's not enough to pull us through life's challenges?
Anyway, I thought "Words for the Wise" (as in, a stronger, broader vocabulary can make anyone appear wiser and more intelligent) might be beneficial to me as well as others. Feel free to suggest other words or ways to improve that column.
In the meantime, I pray that when face with a crisis of faith, you cling to it, focusing on its truths, rather than committing apostasy. For what is faith if it's not enough to pull us through life's challenges?
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