Loving Jesus

6/30/11

I started my day early,
Before the room was light.
I lifted my son from his crib
And wished it was still night.
But as I held him close and said,
"Hi, Kenneth, precious one,"
I knew that as I greeted him,
I greeted too God's Son.

When my daughter woke up later,
Calling, "Mommy! Mommy! Down!"
I picked her up and hugged her
In her worn Elmo nightgown.
I know she felt the closeness
That a mother's touch affords.
I welcomed not just Ellie,
But so, too, the Lord of Lords.

That day, I mixed some formula
And opened jars of peas.
I fixed some "pizza butter" bread
When she grinned and said, "Pleeeeease."
I heated up some leftovers;
I had to nuke them twice.
And when I fed my children,
I was feeding Jesus Christ.

I made some funny faces,
And "played puzzles" on the floor.
I dressed kitties, ran around outside,
And played with them some more.
We laughed and jumped and tickled,
Making memories to be stored.
When I spent time with my children,
I spent time with my Lord.

I wiped up sticky cereal
And washed the dishes clean.
I straightened, picked up, put away,
And dusted in between.
I did six loads of laundry
And folded it like new.
When I cleaned for my children,
I cleaned for my Savior, too.

When my children were both crying,
I held them in my arms.
I cuddled them and whispered
That I'd keep them safe from harm.
I told them how their Father saved them
With His perfect Lamb.
When I comforted my children,
I comforted I AM.

Later on that evening,
I put them in the bath.
I washed their little bodies
As they kicked around and splashed.
I dried them in soft towels
And put their jammies on.
When I had washed my children's feet,
I'd washed the Holy One.

I cooked and cleaned and rearranged,
Made beds and taught and played.
I made sure that we had food to eat
And that we often prayed.
I died to self. I made a home
From ordinary things.
But when I served my children,
I served the King of Kings.

To some, I have done nothing,
But to two, I've done the world.
I made eternal difference
To my precious boy and girl,
And to the One who watches over
Every pathway that I've trod.
For when I've loved my precious children,
I've loved Almighty God.


- Megan Breedlove
(www.mannaformoms.com)

all over the place

This post is gonna be all over the place. Just like this past Sunday when we went all over the place to see Jim's dad, sister, and brother and to meet our new niece (and cousin to Jake and Parker), Delilah.


And just like this coming weekend for Jim and I to celebrate thirteen years married on Saturday. Tomorrow night we have an overnight date planned. Grandma has heeded to the call to give us an entire twenty-four hours of couple time. She's coming here later today with Jake in tow (because he's been with her since Monday night). Between job interviews and dental appointments, Jim's SAHD duties had to be shirked for a few days again this week.


"He looks just like me!", Dad said when he saw Parker for the first time, and his smile was priceless. And they exchanged lots of them over lunch while Christy and Jim looked at old family photos and Jake played with Steven's (Christy's son aka our nephew aka Jake and Parker's cousin who is just a few months older than Jake) Buzz Lightyear he brought to share.


Jake swung on the swingset in the backyard, and we watched the martins fly in and out of their nests.


And Parker gave his teething toys fits. His gums are beginning to swell, and the only time you see him without something shoved in his mouth is when he's asleep. I definitely think it's almost that time, and his teachers do too (and yes, that would be code for he's been crabby off and on during the day this week). He's also babbling with consonants and the vowel a now too. The sounds of "ba-ba-ba, ga-ga-ga, and da-da-da" have been music to our ears each night.


"Don't lay on top of him now, Baby. You might hurt him - break a rib or something.", Grandpa said. I guess holding him made him feel like Parker was safer. So that's what he did as long as he would let him.


And at times, he held them both.


When we got the call that Jeremy and Heather were finally at home with Delilah (who weighed in at a whopping four pounds, fifteen ounces at birth), we formed a convoy to go meet her.


So precious. So tiny. So miraculous.


So glad we spent this time with our extended family.
 

My Daily Bread

6/27/11

Lord, help me...

to make the most of every minute of every hour of every day I am given because the next is not promised to me.


to have the energy necessary to be the best Mommy I know with Your help I can be.

to stop and really listen to what it is I'm being asked.

to set achievable goals and have reasonable expectations.


to realize that my children are just that. They are children, not adults. So they will not act like adults, think like adults, or behave like adults. Thank you, Jesus, that they aren't.

to know when to say "No" or just let it ride.

to be an example of what Your love is really like.


to be reminded that my list of Things to Do is never more important than hearing Jake tell me I'm "the best Mommy ever!" because I stopped to find a toy he had lost or saying "Ma-ma-ma!" to Parker one more time just to see him smile.

to build them up...not tear them down.

to forgive myself for past, present, and future mistakes.


to have patience to answer all the "Huh?"'s from the backseat of our car because I wasn't heard the first time.

to discipline out of love and not anger.


to be sympathetic...even when I know in the grand scheme of things it's not the end of the world because to them, it just might be.

to be thankful more and more each day for the precious gifts in my life.


to remember that these children are not mine. They are Yours.
 

Random But True

6/26/11

I think our family may be the only family I know that didn't see Cars 2 this weekend. Good thing we won't be on the outs as of tomorrow afternoon when Jim and Jake go see the one o'clock matinee.

My new obsession is Pinterest. I could live glued to my computer for months and months if someone brought me food...and mountain dew...and fed my kids.

Our refrigerator has absolutely no milk in it whatsoever. And it's been that way for a solid week now.

Jake still has yet to sing his VBS theme song for me...and tonight we ate watermelon outside in our pajamas.


Earlier today, we met the newest member of our family, Delilah. My brother-in-law, Jeremy, and his wife, Heather welcomed her this past Wednesday.

Last night I wore part of Parker's dinner to bed.

I promise you that won't happen tonight because I'm about to change it.
 

Jeremiah 31:3

6/25/11

Jake and I have this little thing we do with "I love you's".


He'll ask me, "How much do you love me, Mommy? Just this much?" (with his arms stretched as wide as they'll reach).

Sometimes I stretch mine as far as they can reach and almost clasp my hands behind my back and say, "Yes! That much!"

And then sometimes I'll squeeze just my thumb and finger together with just a tiny bit of space in between and say, "Nope. Just thiiiiiiis much."

"NO, MOMMY! You have to love me this much!" (and again his arms are stretched out wide).


I can see us now - playing this little game we play no matter how old or how tall he does(n't) get.

Maybe one day when he's mature enough to understand, I'll just put it to him like the book of Jeremiah does, and I'll say...

"I have loved you with an everlasting love."   No arm gestures needed, Baby.


Thousand Words Thursday

6/23/11

Grandpa...

and grandsons...


are worth more than thousands of words.
 

Dumbo the Flying Elephant

This was


our flight


on


Dumbo the Flying Elephant.

 

Boys will be boys.

6/21/11

So Parker has recently discovered his Hoo-Hoo.

(Insert something totally off the subject which would be the fact that Hoo-Hoo is also his nickname.  The nickname actually came first when he was just a few weeks old.  He had a chocolate brown gown with a hootie owl appliqued on the front, yadda-yadda-yadda, it stuck, and we still call him that to this day.  And now it's become something we use as codename for private parts.)

So tonight, I had him in his froggie-green bathtub (which I've taken the net out of now because he's just simply grown out of it), and for the second night in a row, it's (his hoo-hoo) become his favorite play thing.  Not only was it the object of his affection for a minute or two, but it brought a huge smile to his face.  Just awesome!  His older sibling did the very same thing about this age, I remembered, so it came as no surprise.    

Guess it just goes to prove the ole' saying that Boys will be boys! is so dang true.

Our Family.

6/20/11

Yesterday.   Father's Day.   On my parent's front porch step.

 

It's Father's Day.

6/19/11

It's one of the best days we celebrate all year long (the other being Mother's Day, of course). 

I love to celebrate the person who helped make me who I am today...my own father.  He built castles in the sand and had perfect timing of letting go as I peddled my bike for the very first time.  He reminded me that I am fearfully and wonderfully made and could accomplish anything my heart desired.  He painted a crystal clear picture of my Heavenly Father's love, taught me to believe in myself, and overrid nearly every No way! my mom gave me when I asked for a ferret and a lamb and a bird and a bunny and (another) doggy.    

And I love to celebrate the person who I'm on this journey called parenthood with.  He gags when he changes diapers but does it anyway and exercises patience when I don't.  He lifts are babes in the air and kisses them at night.  He goes to doctor's appointments and coaches tball.  He never lets our family eat dinner without a prayer, and he says, "Let's go!" when I plan a surprise birthday party on the fly on a day that should be all his own.

No words do justice to the way I feel about these two.

And no title did either which is why I started with It's Father's Day (Sort of like I started with It's Saturday yesterday.  Tomorrow, I promise I won't say It's Monday.  I really rather not keep reminding myself.).

Happy Father's Day to the two best fathers I know!  I love you more than words can say!

It's Saturday.

6/18/11

Some of us spent nearly the entire day in the same clothes we went to bed in last night (Some of us being everyone except for Jim.  He actually got dressed before breakfast.).

This morning I did stuff like arrange a surprise birthday party for my niece Emily that we'll have tomorrow, swap out sheets on beds, laundry, dig for small toys in the cracks of our couch, watch recorded episodes of 19 Kids & Counting, and rid our refrigerator of things dried on shelves  - all while he took a nap.  

I snapped this photo of him when he finally decided to join the land of the living.


Does that face scream refreshed or what?  Guess mine would too if I had just slept from 8:30am until nearly 1pm.  Must be nice there, Buddy.).

Speaking of this morning, Belle, one of our two four-legged family members, came home from an appointment she had yesterday for vaccinations and surgery (officially out of the doggy gene pool kind of surgery).  She actually skipped dinner tonight, and she's done no more than toddle to and from our laundry room to the grass outside a few times for bladder relief.  In this case, I can definitely say...I feel her pain.

I'm thinking about Father's Day tomorrow and how to tell my husband and my dad how great I really think they are at being dads (It's not really "the thought that counts" in this case, you know? I'm a stickler for telling the ones I love how I feel.), and I'm thinking that I could keep going and tell you about our dinner at Moe's and trip to Target and need to pack a suitcase for Jake because he'll be staying with his grandparents this week and going to Vacation Bible School at their church (Hallelujah!).  But I just looked at Parker's photo again.  And I'm totally convinced now that if I want my face to look anywhere closed to that refreshed and be up the task of making the trip home for Father's Day and a surprise birthday party, I better go to bed.
 

Thousand Words (Video) Thursday

6/16/11

Giggles...


are definitely worth a thousand words!
 

Our New Patio Decor

6/15/11

That he...


and his daddy set up nice and fancy today.

And by the look on his face, you would never guess that he told me, "I can't, Mommy!" when I asked him to look up at me for these photos.


His reason...


"Because of the weather."
 

When imaginations run wild...

my four year old becomes a penguin.


He does things like refer to himself as The Penguin and walks like one all the way to his bedroom…the refrigerator…you get the idea. “Penguin wants a snack, Mommy.” Oh does he now? (That’s my response…just role playin’. Why not?)


Last night my son (guess he wasn’t in character just yet) asked me,

“Can I change my name, Mommy?”

To what, Baby?

“Penguin.”


Go ahead and think he’s weird.

It won't hurt my feelings.

Sometimes I think he's weird too.


I also think he's the brightest...blue-eyed...best...

 
Buzz Lightyear-loving four year old I know.

monkey business

6/13/11

taking


care


of



monkey



business



at


Epcot