Happy post Christmas sigh...Mike has the week off and all sense of scheduling has been thrown to the wind. The Christmas rush has been replaced by sleeping in, lingering over a cup of coffee, staying in my jammies, watching movies and taking naps. Oh, don't forget eating Christmas cookies for breakfast. Don't gasp in horror...you've done it too!
Our first Christmas in Texas was a mix of new experiences and old traditions. Spending time with family and new friends made for many wonderful memories. I have so many photos to download off my camera that it will take me a month of Sundays to complete. Dealing with the overwhelming number of images stored in my computer is sure to find its way in some form onto my list of New Year's resolutions come January, but that's for another post.
There were two HUGE surprises in our family this Christmas. NO, I am NOT pregnant! That would be a huge surprise to everyone...myself included. The first surprise was for my dear husband. I had a custom oil painting done of his favorite place on earth, the Sawtooth Mountains. This is where he grew up camping with his family, where he took us camping as a family and where he proposed to me. It turned out absolutely amazing don't you think?
He loves it and we both cried. Of course after I had been telling him for two months how much he was going to love his gift, he had no choice but to cry. I was fully expecting it! He may have been crying knowing full well I had blown our Christmas budget out the window, but he cried none the less.
Our other big surprise has to do with a castle, a mouse, Star Wars, lots of chocolate and best friends. We're taking the kids to Disneyland and our best friends from Idaho are meeting us there! We leave in 22 days. That's 22 days to find a good pair of shoes that will withstand a week of standing in line and chasing children all over southern California. Sore tootsies are sure to make me an unhappy camper at "the happiest place on earth". That certainly won't do.
Yes, our first Christmas in Texas was definitely one to remember. I hope yours was as well.
Thanksgiving has come and gone and the Christmas season is in full swing. At least by the looks of the calendar anyway. The perpetual leftovers overflowing from my fridge attest to the fact that Thanksgiving is indeed over. The as yet undecorated Christmas tree sitting in my living room seems to tell me Christmas is coming. 'Santa Clause is Coming to Town' mixes with the laughter of my children and reminds me I need to get moving.
That's the problem. I don't want to get moving. I want, just once, for time to stand still. I want to take it all in...the sights, the sounds, the smells...I want to hold on to each memory as it lingers for a moment.
No, I haven't figured out how to slow down time. The only thing I can slow down is myself. I can control my calendar over the next month and not allow it to control me. I can plan a bit and make some intentional memories with my family. I can work time into our schedules to do nothing but sit and stare at the tree with no place to go.
I can ride the crazy express train of Christmas moving at breakneck speeds, or I can intentionally slow down and walk. The express keeps me breathless and a bit on edge. I miss out on the very memories I am hoping to create simply because we are moving too fast. When I walk, I take time to watch my little girl's eyes light up as she looks at the Christmas tree. I snuggle in my comfy chair, hands wrapped around my favorite mug as Mike reads another Christmas story to the kids. The view is different when I walk. Life is more vivid and full of detail. Life is more...memorable.
I'm getting off the Christmas express. This year I think I'll walk.
Everyone knows at least one. You know the type. They thrive on conflict and chaos. The more turmoil in their lives at any given moment, the better. Their life is a roller coaster ride and one some strange level they get a rush out of the emergencies that seem to constantly present themselves. If there is no emergency, they will create one, lest their life, for even a brief moment have some semblance of normalcy. Good grief! It makes me tired just thinking about it!
Ever had a friend like that? The one good thing that these sorts of people tend to do is remind me that I love what I call my "vanilla life". OK, so maybe it’s vanilla with a drizzle of chocolate sauce to spice things up.It is steady and stable, but never boring. When troubles come (and they will come!), I know where to focus while we ride out the storm. I certainly don't relish the chaos or conflict, but am thankful for where it brings me on the other side.
My vanilla life this week has been busy. We are having my dad and step-mom over for dinner tonight. My eight year old dreamt up a delicious honey garlic marinade for our BBQ chicken. We'll serve it with parmesan garlic mashed potatoes, grilled corn on the cob and homemade biscuits. Connor is thrilled to be serving something he created. He is already a fantastic little cook and I couldn’t be prouder.
Tomorrow my step-mom and I are going antiquing and out for tea. We've been meaning to do this since I moved to Texas. It should be lots of fun! I'll be sure and let you know what we find.
Mike and I will probably snuggle up and watch a movie tomorrow evening. Someone at church loaned us The Last Sin Eater and we need to watch it so we can return it on Sunday. Maybe I'll whip up a batch of Mike's favorite peanut butter popcorn for us to munch on.
If you’ve read this far you are probably thinking, “So what?”Why am I telling you all this? To prove that a vanilla life can be wonderfully exciting. We don’t need a constant stream of emergencies to keep things interesting.LIFE is interesting!Serving the LORD is exciting!When the storms do come, we’ll hang on tight and ride them out, but they will be our exception, not our norm.
Jul. 21, 2007 - Opposites really do...drive each other nuts!
My hubby and I are polar opposites in so many ways. This definitely has its advantages, but as I'm sure you've experienced, can also be a bit like banging your head against a wall.
Late this afternoon I suddenly had an epiphany. Strong word I know, but it was nothing less. Mike knows me well enough to recognize when my ideas are going to cause him great concern and involve some serious work on his part. There's some unwritten rule in our home now about not moving furniture after 10:00 p.m., but I digress. Back to my epiphany...
Since moving in to our new house there have been a couple of rooms that have not quite come together the way we wanted. My creative solution involved switching all the furniture in two rooms. One just happens to be upstairs and one down. So what if the BIG screen TV, sofa and love seat need to come downstairs? Personally I don't see the problem. Being the dream killer realist that he is, Mike pointed out all the reasons my epiphany wasn't such a stellar idea in his mind.
So here we sit five hours after the birth of my fantastic two room make-over idea and not one stick of furniture has been moved. Not even a pillow. I have however learned something about my husband. He is NEVER going to jump right on board with my crazy, maniacal ideas and run with them. That is not his personality. And that's OK.
He summed it up like this - I run up to a cliff at full speed and jump off without so much as a backward glance. He runs to the edge and stops, looks down to see if he thinks he can make the jump safely and then plans out several other options if for some reason this one doesn't work. Then he may or may not jump. I on the other hand have just either had the ride of my life, or didn't live to tell about it, but either way it was quite a trip. So different and yet we are perfect for each other.
As for my epiphany, I think he's warming up to the idea. His request? Let's think about it over the next week and then if we decide to make the switch we can work on it next weekend. Sounds reasonable...but I think I'd just rather jump off the cliff.
My baby boy turns six today. I love this photo because it captures his sweet, fun-loving spirit so perfectly. He is sensitive, silly and excitable. When telling a story, his mind often works much faster than his mouth! He gives the very best hugs and must have at least three kisses at bedtime. He still has all his baby teeth. He loves art and is learning to play the violin. He adores his baby sister and is infinitely patient with her...probably much more so than his mommy!
Happy birthday little G! You are fearfully and wonderfully made. Our family is incredibly blessed to have you in it. Mommy loves you "all the way to the moon and back"!
Our first Texas 4th of July felt like a scene straight out of Mayberry. A small town setting in the park, flags waving, the sounds of the symphony floating over the evening breeze and dazzling fireworks launched over the pond. The kids played tag and enjoyed snow cones. While I am still hesitant to say Texas is home, memories like these make it feel more real every day.
I pray the celebration of our nation's freedom and independence will never become routine. May we always remember those who fought so bravely to ensure our right to live and celebrate freely.
By far, the most difficult part of the moving experience has been leaving our church home and feeling terribly lost without a new one. We knew we would never feel we were truly home in Texas until this area of our lives was grounded. We began praying before we left Idaho, asking the Lord for wisdom in finding where He wanted us to be. It's been a tough road, with the answers not being as readily visible as I would have liked, but God is so faithful.
He has finally lead us to a new place to call home. I will say it wasn't quite what I had anticipated. It is a completely different denomination, but (shock) God is moving there too! I can't tell you what a relief it is to have this part of the journey completed. Granted, it is only the first step, but it is a big one.
Now begins the task of building relationships and waiting to see how the Lord will use us. One thing He has impressed on me is the need to wait on Him before jumping in. I have a feeling there is a new ministry opportunity that will present itself...most likely one I had not even thought of or dared to dream about.
Now glory be to God! By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope. Ephesians 3:20
Emily and Angel both made great points in their comments to my previous post. One thing that moving has done is to bring our family closer together. We have spent some wonderful times together over the last few weeks and taken life much slower. It really is amazing what a clear calendar will do for your sense of peace. Why did it take such a life altering event for me to figure that one out? We can start school later if we want because we're not rushing to get it done before our next appointment. We can head to the pool in the middle of the day when the ps kids are in school, or take Dad over after he gets home from work. We've read more, played more and enjoyed being together more. While I still have so far to go, I can honestly say that this move has made me a better mom. Things that use to bother me when we were on a tighter schedule just don't seem like a big deal anymore. I think I'm taking more deep breaths and rediscovering the preciousness of my quickly growing children.
I have also delighted in what the move has done for our children's relationships. While they miss their best friends, they have not lamented the fact that they haven't made many friends yet. They are perfectly content to be with one another. Mommy heart sigh...
I think this mom could stand to learn some things from her children.
We sold our home...in five days! OK, we didn't sell it, God did. We prayed it would sell quickly so we wouldn't have to be away from dh long...be careful what you pray for! It feels like life has shifted into overdrive and all I can do is hang on for dear life!
We sold our home to the first people who looked at it. We had been praying that our home would be a blessing to the new owners as it has been to us. The people came to look and stayed for over an hour. We drove by and saw them sitting in our living room. What were they doing? We later found out from the realtor that they were praying over the house and whether or not they should buy it! How cool is that? They made an offer at 10:30 that same night. God is so awesome!
We leave Tuesday to go house hunting in Texas. We'll return to Idaho for a week to close on this house and let the mover's pack everything up. Have you ever felt like you had so much to do that you were paralyzed and weren't sure what to do first? That's how I'm feeling right now. Any advice or prayers would not only be appreciated, but coveted. For those of you sweet friends who have been praying for us along the way, I can't thank you enough. Your prayers and God's amazing grace are giving us peace in the midst of chaos.
I'm not sure how much I will be around for the next few weeks. We will be without a house for a month at the least...sigh. At least I know we are not on this roller coaster alone. God put us here, so He will certainly take care of us.
Mar. 11, 2007 - Home again, home again jiggity jig!
We are home from Cancun with sand between our toes, sunburn on our nose and a lot of wonderful memories. The beach and waters of Cancun were amazing. We were pampered and well taken care of at the resort, but nothing can compare to being home with our family. As nice as it all was, home is where I belong. Being a mom and taking care of my family is what I was meant to do.
We made it home on Thursday (after being stuck overnight in Phoenix...long story) and put our house on the market Friday. Before leaving for vacation it was easy to not face the full reality of what lies ahead for us. The trip was sort of a buffer between me and reality. Remember the place I like to live...denial? As we packed up to come home it began to sink in...we are moving to Texas. Seeing the sign go up in our front yard was another one of those moments. Can't deny it anymore. Life as we know it is no more.
We are excited to see what the Lord has in store for our family. It is the beginning of a grand and wonderful adventure...it's just the getting ready for the adventure that's the challenge.
On an unrelated note, our computer crashed while we were on vacation. We are working now on a loaner, which means I have lost all my saved feeds. I will try to get around to catching up with everyone as time allows.
Jan. 30, 2007 - The good, the bad, the scary and the sweet
Today has been a mixed bag, but we've seen the Lord's hand in it every step of the way.
Ds #3 came down with the stomach flu last night at AWANA. He was in quarantine in our room this morning watching a movie. I was doing school with the other boys when all of a sudden ds said, "Mom, Emma's eating medicine." WHAT? I ran into the room and found our two year old with a bottle of baby aspirin. No, they are NOT childproof and we had no idea how many she had consumed. A call to poison control calmed my fears...she is fine. I thought later how fortunate we were that Greyson was sick. He normally would have been doing school with us. Had he not seen her, Emma probably would have consumed the entire bottle of what she thought was candy. Yes, my girl has a sweet tooth. God turned Greyson's illness into a blessing in our life today...and he is fine now as well.
This evening after dinner, our oldest ds (10) had his first date...with his mom! He received a gift card for TCBY for Christmas and wanted to take me on a date. Mommy heart sigh...What a precious time we had talking and laughing. We were able to talk about so many things, including his feelings about moving. It was an awesome reminder of the importance of taking time to connect with each child individually. In the busyness of the day to day, it is easy to let those connections slide. I would venture to guess tonight's date will be tucked away in his memory for a long time. I know it will be in mine.
So friends, put those medicine bottles up high and spend time letting your kids know how special they are to you.
Thank you Lord that you were involved in each and every moment of today...the good, the bad, the scary and the sweet.
Despite not feeling well, we trudged on this morning determined to get some schooling done. My frustration level had risen to an unhealthy level just before we stopped for lunch. Sigh...
I took a minute to check some blogs and was suddenly brought back to what is important in my life. A family is planning their preschooler's funeral today and I'm complaining about my kids not listening. Oh my gosh...how dumb can I be and still breath??? Please pray for Joel's family as they deal with the loss of their precious little boy.
Jan. 21, 2007 - Sickness, snuggles and chicken noodle soup
We are officially under quarantine. Every time I turn around, one of us has come down with this nasty virus. It is unlike anything we've ever had...horrible headaches, fever and aches so bad you don't want to move. Dh is the hold out. At one point today, he mumbled something about being a "dead man" and wanting to go live in a bubble.
Being basically able to do nothing for the last few days has forced us to slow down. Between feverish moments, I began to see the little things we were doing for one another to make this time a bit easier. The boys wouldn't pass by without saying, "I love you Mom." They gathered round to pray for me last night and then today it was my turn to pray for them. Lots of extra hugs and snuggles made the aches and pains a bit more bearable. Little Emma melted my heart at the height of her illness by surprising me with a new word. "Guggle Mommy." (translation - "Snuggle Mommy"). Mommy heart sigh...
Around lunchtime today, I mentioned something about how wonderful homemade chicken noodle soup would taste. Dh hesitated a minute before asking where I kept the recipe. Seeing the trepidation in his eyes, I told him Progresso would be fine. Off he went to the store.
He has single handedly nursed all of us toward recovery. I would like to publicly announce that I officially have the best husband in the world. Sorry, ladies.
I've mentioned before that dh receives a weekly e-mail from Todd Wilson, a.k.a. You 'da Dad. OK, I admit it...I read them too. Today's note caught me a bit off guard at first. As the truth of his words began to sink in, I had another light bulb/life preserver moment. Actually, this one hit me right between the eyes. If you read my last post, you will begin to see a trend here. It's a wonder I don't have a headache yet.
Here's the 2X4 Todd used to get my attention. "Above all, Dad, enjoy the precious time you have with your wife and children because the truth is, it may be your last Christmas together. Just imagine what Christmas would be like next year without your oldest child...your youngest...or your wife? Don’t squander the time this year or take lightly the great gift God has given you."
I sat pondering this truth and wondered how many people, even here at HSB, find themselves in this situation today. Had they known that last year would be their last, what might they have done differently? What will Mike and I do differently this year? I pray we take this truth to heart, cross some things off our to-do list and work harder at creating lasting memories.
Come to think of it, I do have a headache. Please Lord, no more 2X4's today...
The last couple of months have been a whirlwind of activity. Despite the growing to-do list, I continued to hurl at breakneck speed down that familiar river called "de Nile". I couldn't put it off any longer - Christmas was coming, full steam ahead.
Just before I plunged over the rapids of said river, I had a light bulb moment...or I guess you could say the Lord threw me a life preserver. I thought back to my own childhood memories. What made Christmas special? What evoked those feelings of excitment? Except for one or two particular gifts, it's not the things I received that stand out. Instead, I remember the traditions we shared...the time spent together...the anticipation and magic of the season...the smells and sights...arguing with my sister about who's turn it was to put the angel on top of the tree...who doesn't have at least one memory like that?
As I clung to my life preserver, my stress began to melt away. Being worried about what sort of Christmas my denial was creating for the kids gave way to excitement about the little things. We're singing more carols this year, looking at more lights, drinking more cocoa, spending more time with friends and above all taking more time to talk about the first Christmas and God's incredible gift to us.
Thank you Lord for the smack upside the head life preserver.
I can remember exactly where I was and what I was doing ten years ago this evening. After 37 hours of labor, our first son made his grand entrance into the world. I know parents say this all the time, but I truly can't believe how quickly the time has passed. When I look at him now, I see not a young boy, but a young man. Excuse me while I get my tissue...sigh.
We are so proud of what Austin is becoming. He is a true first born - everything must be done decently and in order! When we need someone to help, we know we can count on him. He has a heart for the Lord and a sincere desire to do what is right. Probably the thing I appreciate about him the most is his sensitivity to the Holy Spirit and his honest, repentant heart.
As with most boys his age, he adores his LEGOS and computer games. Spending time with his brothers and his three best friends is at the top of his list of favorites as well. The Lord has blessed and surrounded him with wonderful, godly friends.
Thank you Lord for the opportunity to be Austin's mom! I can't wait to see what the next ten years have in store.
After three visits in three days from the hot water heater guy (I wonder if he would appreciate that title?), we now have a new hot water heater in our garage and $1,000 less in our pockets. Ouch! These things seem to happen at the most inopportune times. Come to think of it, I doubt there is ever a good time to drop $1,000.
Dh is home today and took the opportunity to teach the kids a bit about the Lord's faithfulness. The boys asked Dad how much the new heater cost. Dh was able to talk to the kids about the Lord's incredible faithfulness. He always provides and takes care of us. This led to a discussion about how thankful we are for hot water and what life would be like without that simple luxury. I just love those teachable moments...almost as much as hot water.
Our little Greyson came home from AWANAs tonight absolutely beaming. He was chosen Sparkie of the Week. He was SO proud and of course, so were we. We've only been involved with AWANAs for about a month. It has quickly become one of the highlights of their week.
I spent some time Friday blogging about our week...nothing earth shattering or deeply profound...just weekly ramblings. Somehow, in the process of posting, I received an error message and the post was lost. I was too frustrated to recreate it, so instead I thought I would give you a peak at our family website. I try to keep the site updated for family and friends far away. It's a great way to let them know what's happening with the kids.
Mother, oh Mother, come shake out your cloth empty the dustpan, poison the moth, hang out the washing and butter the bread, sew on a button and make up a bed. Where is the mother whose house is so shocking? She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.
Oh, I've grown shiftless as Little Boy Blue (lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo). Dishes are waiting and bills are past due (pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo). The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew and out in the yard there's a hullabaloo but I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo. Look! Aren't her eyes the most wonderful hue? (lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).
The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow, for children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow. So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep. I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.
The daily, sometimes hourly, musings of a homeschooling mom of four surviving on prayer, friendship and lots of Starbucks. Some days my cup runs over and some days it all spills out the cracks...and I wouldn't have it any other way.
