Here are my random thoughts from today (mostly). Things that made me think something along the lines of, "Huh?!" or "What in the world?!"....
Opening my refrigerator and finding an Iron Man action figure.
Camden's response when I so sweetly asked him if he was arguing with his mama, "Uh, yes, I am."
Walking around the corner into the kitchen to a hunk of nastiness on the tile floor. Oh, no worries, its a chewed up grape that someone grew tired of.
Camden telling me, "Mama, I'm actually scared." As if the boy even knows the meaning of the word!
Landon's ability to make a different "chuffing" noise for every train on Thomas' Sodor Island.
Finding two day old milk...I'm being real here, people!! I'm sure you know what it looked like!
The repeated disappointment on Camden's face when I open the garage door and he comes running to see Daddy, only to find....just Mama.
The joyful ecstasy that results when Daddy actually DOES walk in the door. Hello? Remember me? The one who changed your poopy diaper and wiped your nasty nose and let you watch Elmo for the love of Pete???? (Just kidding...I'm glad they love their Daddy and I know they love me, too. And, it really is something to see)
Ayden's fascination with adding the words "poop" and "pee" to nearly every sentence he utters.
My own musings that maybe I should let Camden stay in diapers forever rather than taking on a new potty training battle when the last one is still etched so freshly in my memory.
Thanks for coming along. Welcome to my crazy life. Some days it makes me crazy, but for the most part, I'm glad there's never a dull moment!! :)
Monday, January 9, 2012
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Ayden's 6th Birthday
Dear Ayden,
Today you are six years old! I cannot believe it! It seems like just yesterday Daddy and I were bringing you home from the hospital. You are growing up so fast. But, you promised me that you would always be my little boy, no matter how old you are, so I am going to hold you to it.
This has been a big year for you because you started Kindergarten. I am amazed everyday at how well you are learning. Your reading just blows me away!! When Mama was teaching, I didn't even introduce these same concepts until the second half of first grade, but here you are, already reading like a champ just halfway through Kindergarten!! You sometimes say that you don't like school and don't want to go, but when you come home you are always excited and say that you had a good day. Mrs. Tracy is such a sweet teacher and has done such a wonderful job with your class this year.
You also learned this year that you were going to be a big brother...again. Surprise!! At first, you weren't all that excited about it. But, then, you said you guessed it would be okay to have another baby at our house...but you sure hoped it was a sister this time. I was holding my breath when it was time to hear the big news, but now we know that a sweet little sister is on her way. I can't wait for her to meet you. You are the BEST biggest brother. You take such good care of your little brothers and you always look out for them and try to teach them by setting a good example. I know you will be the same way with your sister. She, and Landon and Camden, are lucky to have you.
You are still so tenderhearted. You've gotten big enough that you really don't get into trouble very often...but when you do, its usually for having an attitude with Mama and Daddy. You are always so brokenhearted to be in trouble that I usually feel guilty for even getting on to you. Just know that Daddy and I are working to train you up in the way you should go. You also tell me about things that make you sad, like when a friend has to leave school because they are sick, and especially how it makes you sad that Grammy and Poppy and all of our family in Missouri is so far away.
You are also so funny. You have always kept us entertained, even from the time you were a baby. I remember when you were just a month or so old, Grammy said that she couldn't even remember what we used to do for entertainment before you came along. You get the fun-loving side of your personality from Daddy. You act just like him (and that's a good thing!!). Although Daddy and I do NOT think we need to start the whole boyfriend/girlfriend thing anytime soon, you have definitely been exposed to it some this year in school. A few months ago, you told me that so and so thought you should marry a certain girl from your class. I tried to play it cool and not totally freak out and give you the whole, "you-will-NOT-have-a-girlfriend-for-at least-the-next-27-years" talk. So, I just casually said, "Well, it will probably still be a long time before you want to get married. But, when the time comes, you just need to find a girl that loves Jesus and loves you." And, that was that. Then, the next week after I picked you up from school, that same girl came up again in our conversation, and you said "Mama, when we are on the playground I keep asking her if she loves Jesus, and she just runs away from me!!" I have laughed at that so many times!
Recently, you have started shortening words... Camden is "Cams" and Landon "Lands". You like to snuggle under the "covs" with me and your "Dads" and sometimes even like to call "Grams" on the phone. Your Daddy and I have gotten quite a kick out of your new language!
You love to play with your Legos that you got for Christmas and you are in kid-love with The Avengers. Honestly, I had no idea that so many different superheroes even existed, but you know every single one under the sun (and above and beyond that, too) and what their power is. Mr. Rusty has loaded you up with some sweet Avengers posters for your bedroom that are the envy of most of the other boys (even Daddy!). You are very creative in the way that you play, and you also like to draw. Daddy says you just may grow up to be a movie director because you show us a piece of paper with what looks like random drawings and scribbles, but then you proceed to tell us exactly what is going on, with exact detail. Scribbles become bombs blowing up, people in the air are being flown away by the heroes, random lines are spiderwebs shooting or laser eyes firing...Its crazy because you always know every little detail about what and why you draw.
You are sometimes critical of yourself. I think its called being a perfectionist, and, unfortunately, I think you get that from your Mama. Daddy and I have tried to let you know that we are always proud of you when you try your hardest, even if that means something isn't perfect. You are the exact way that God made you, and we wouldn't have it any other way!!
I love you so very much, big boy!! I am so proud of you and that little man that you are becoming. It thrills me to hear you talk about Jesus, and I pray for the day that you understand about the sacrifice of His life on the cross in order to pay for our sins and allow us eternal life with Him in heaven. I can't wait to see all of the things you will do for the Lord in your life and the ways you will serve Him.
You are precious to me.
There is no one like you.
You are the perfect fit for our family.
I love you to the moon and back times infinity.
Love,
Mama
Today you are six years old! I cannot believe it! It seems like just yesterday Daddy and I were bringing you home from the hospital. You are growing up so fast. But, you promised me that you would always be my little boy, no matter how old you are, so I am going to hold you to it.
This has been a big year for you because you started Kindergarten. I am amazed everyday at how well you are learning. Your reading just blows me away!! When Mama was teaching, I didn't even introduce these same concepts until the second half of first grade, but here you are, already reading like a champ just halfway through Kindergarten!! You sometimes say that you don't like school and don't want to go, but when you come home you are always excited and say that you had a good day. Mrs. Tracy is such a sweet teacher and has done such a wonderful job with your class this year.
You also learned this year that you were going to be a big brother...again. Surprise!! At first, you weren't all that excited about it. But, then, you said you guessed it would be okay to have another baby at our house...but you sure hoped it was a sister this time. I was holding my breath when it was time to hear the big news, but now we know that a sweet little sister is on her way. I can't wait for her to meet you. You are the BEST biggest brother. You take such good care of your little brothers and you always look out for them and try to teach them by setting a good example. I know you will be the same way with your sister. She, and Landon and Camden, are lucky to have you.
You are still so tenderhearted. You've gotten big enough that you really don't get into trouble very often...but when you do, its usually for having an attitude with Mama and Daddy. You are always so brokenhearted to be in trouble that I usually feel guilty for even getting on to you. Just know that Daddy and I are working to train you up in the way you should go. You also tell me about things that make you sad, like when a friend has to leave school because they are sick, and especially how it makes you sad that Grammy and Poppy and all of our family in Missouri is so far away.
You are also so funny. You have always kept us entertained, even from the time you were a baby. I remember when you were just a month or so old, Grammy said that she couldn't even remember what we used to do for entertainment before you came along. You get the fun-loving side of your personality from Daddy. You act just like him (and that's a good thing!!). Although Daddy and I do NOT think we need to start the whole boyfriend/girlfriend thing anytime soon, you have definitely been exposed to it some this year in school. A few months ago, you told me that so and so thought you should marry a certain girl from your class. I tried to play it cool and not totally freak out and give you the whole, "you-will-NOT-have-a-girlfriend-for-at least-the-next-27-years" talk. So, I just casually said, "Well, it will probably still be a long time before you want to get married. But, when the time comes, you just need to find a girl that loves Jesus and loves you." And, that was that. Then, the next week after I picked you up from school, that same girl came up again in our conversation, and you said "Mama, when we are on the playground I keep asking her if she loves Jesus, and she just runs away from me!!" I have laughed at that so many times!
Recently, you have started shortening words... Camden is "Cams" and Landon "Lands". You like to snuggle under the "covs" with me and your "Dads" and sometimes even like to call "Grams" on the phone. Your Daddy and I have gotten quite a kick out of your new language!
You love to play with your Legos that you got for Christmas and you are in kid-love with The Avengers. Honestly, I had no idea that so many different superheroes even existed, but you know every single one under the sun (and above and beyond that, too) and what their power is. Mr. Rusty has loaded you up with some sweet Avengers posters for your bedroom that are the envy of most of the other boys (even Daddy!). You are very creative in the way that you play, and you also like to draw. Daddy says you just may grow up to be a movie director because you show us a piece of paper with what looks like random drawings and scribbles, but then you proceed to tell us exactly what is going on, with exact detail. Scribbles become bombs blowing up, people in the air are being flown away by the heroes, random lines are spiderwebs shooting or laser eyes firing...Its crazy because you always know every little detail about what and why you draw.
You are sometimes critical of yourself. I think its called being a perfectionist, and, unfortunately, I think you get that from your Mama. Daddy and I have tried to let you know that we are always proud of you when you try your hardest, even if that means something isn't perfect. You are the exact way that God made you, and we wouldn't have it any other way!!
I love you so very much, big boy!! I am so proud of you and that little man that you are becoming. It thrills me to hear you talk about Jesus, and I pray for the day that you understand about the sacrifice of His life on the cross in order to pay for our sins and allow us eternal life with Him in heaven. I can't wait to see all of the things you will do for the Lord in your life and the ways you will serve Him.
You are precious to me.
There is no one like you.
You are the perfect fit for our family.
I love you to the moon and back times infinity.
Love,
Mama
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Friends
A friend loves at all times.... Prov. 17:17a
Friends. I have struggled in the area of friendship for most of my life. I would have some great friends for a few years, but then, for various reasons, we went our separate ways. Maybe we no longer had classes together. Maybe we were no longer interested in the same things. Maybe our lives went in different directions. Maybe one or both of us moved. Whatever the reason, friends have been something that have come and gone in my life; yet something that I so deeply desired was deep, lasting, meaningful friendships.
Throughout my married years (which also, coincidentally, includes all of my adult years), the Lord has taught me many lessons about friendship. What it means to be a good friend. What it means to have good friends. The importance of having Christ as the center of a friendship. Even the fact that its okay to have a small group of close friends.
I have come to understand how blessed I am with friends. When Jesse and I sensed God's call to pack up our family and move 1,000 miles away from everyone and everything we knew, I was terrified that I would never again have friends. But, I do. Lots of them and all to His glory.
One of them I call my Mama. We have always been close and for the most part, even avoided all the typical pitfalls common to mother-daughter relationships during the teenage years. But, as I have become a wife and a mom, our bond has strengthened. She is the person I know I can talk to about anything and know that she is praying and will give Godly advice...in addition to just listening. And, in some crazy way, I think being so far away has given us even a new appreciation for each other...that our time together is more precious and not to be taken for granted.
Two of them I call sisters. I remember thinking as a teenager that Heather and I would always love each other - because we had to, but we would probably NEVER like each other. In my eyes, she always copied everything I did, had to go everywhere I went, and would always be the one to get me in trouble. In her eyes, I'm sure she saw me for the bossy and selfish girl I was prone to be. But, we DID get over all that and we DO like each other. We even cry when we say good-bye!! :) We enjoy each other's company now and look forward to spending time together and with our sister Katie. Katie was always my little baby doll. Since I was seven years older, she thought I rocked and I could dress her pretty much any way I wanted. Now, I look to her for advice on what to wear and what goes together. She's still my baby sister, but she's now fully adult. I love her and her tender heart.
I have three friends that are sisters of my heart. They grabbed me the minute I set foot in Jacksonville and have been there with me and for me every step of the way. They have laughed and cried with me, encouraged and prayed for me, and been, truly, my sisters away from home. I know to expect a text (or 3) when I am leaving MO, letting me know that they are praying for my good-byes to family. I can expect a hug the moment they see me and hear from them how much my family in Florida has missed me. They love my children just like their own nephews (and nieces soon). They have rejoiced with me and they have mourned with me, and I thank the Lord that he placed them in my life so that the burden of being so far from home will be a little lighter.
Then there is the sweet young couple who have been and done everything we've needed them to since we've lived in Jacksonville. They have watched our boys, hung out with us, supported our ministry, and even gave me a special gift for Christmas this year of redoing my living room while we were gone. The crazy part is, I think they even enjoy it all! They are precious to us and another answer to prayer.
There are others who have stepped into our lives and loved us. Each of them are so special to us and make life away from family not just a countdown to the next visit, but a life - with ups and downs and twists and turns and the unforeseen and the planned and busyness and play time.
And I just wanted to say thank you.
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