Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Crafty Summer

  If I'm going to be totally honest, I have to say the last month of my stay-at-home mom journey has been particularly hard. It just has. Jack picked up a cold, probably from his habit of putting everything in his mouth. Then it spread throughout our household. So, in short, we've all been a sleepy, cranky mess.

  Dinah has been taking swim lessons, which both adds to, and provides a brief reprieve from the chaos. Some days we've run errands or met Daddy for lunch after her lesson, and some days we've just gone back home. The last couple days, Dinah had been asking to go to Hobby Lobby to get beads to make her some new necklaces. So, we finally went. However, we quickly discovered that taking a nine-month-old baby to the bead aisle at Hobby Lobby was not very productive. We eventually scrapped that idea and just walked around for a few minutes. In our meandering, Dinah saw a tie dye kit that caught her attention. She didn't know what it was, but those colors seemed to be calling to her. She decided she'd rather make a shirt instead of necklaces, and I left thinking surely I can tie dye a shirt cheaper than that. 

  So, after buying Dollar Tree rubber bands, a shirt from Family Dollar, and a little research, we figured out how to make dye from the acrylic paint we had on hand and went to work. 

Hooray for crafty days, and that silly grin!



 

Monday, May 5, 2014

Siblings and Friends

Having grown up with two brothers myself, I knew how special it was to have siblings. So, I always knew I wanted more than one child so they would have that too. Now that I have two, I'm incredibly grateful that they have each other. Nothing warms my heart like seeing the love and adoration they have for each other. And, it started the day Jack was born. 
Dinah immediately went looking for her baby brother and asked to hold him as soon as she woke up everyday for the first couple months of his life. 
They light up when they see each other, and they love doing things together. Nothing is as fun as making each other laugh. And nothing makes this Mama's heart happier. 
They thoroughly enjoy each other's company and I pray they always do. A siblings' bond is like no other. 
Maybe it's because they share in the joys of childhood. All I know is that siblings make the best friends. 





Monday, April 14, 2014

Stop Growing Up.

To My Children:

Stop growing up. Seriously. This is getting ridiculous. I mean, I don't expect you to stay babies forever, but geez. Give me more than a day


Yesterday, Dinah was just learning to walk and doing that side-step across the living room. Or squealing at the other shoppers in the grocery store to get their attention and then waving when they finally looked her way. Today, she's dressing up as princesses and belting out the words to "Let It Go."

Yesterday, Jack was an 8lb 5oz newborn. Today he's sitting up, army crawling across the room to get into whatever has caught his eye, rocking on all fours, grinning and showing off his five teeth, and laughing at his sister. 

Love, 
Trying to slow down time- Mom

Thursday, March 13, 2014

All The Pretty Girls

I had the following exchange with my three-year-old yesterday. 


Me: Why are you so pretty?
Dinah: Because I'm a little girl.
Me: All little girls are pretty?
Dinah: Yes. 
Me: But they're not all as pretty as you. 
Dinah: Yeah they are. 

Wouldn't it be great if we all had this mindset? Shouldn't that be the way we look at people? I mean, she's right. Just like every mother looks at her daughter and sees the beauty, God sees beauty in every single one of us. He made us, so of course he does. He also made the ocean, and the sky, and the mountains, and a whole host of gorgeous things. Okay, every gorgeous thing. So, I'd say he has some credibility. 


So, here's to seeing people the way God sees them. 

Monday, March 10, 2014

My Friend, Barnabas

Every time I read the story of Barnabas in the Bible, I think about how much more I need to be like him. I mean, his name means "son of encouragement." (Acts 4:36) Every one of us could use some encouragement once in awhile. Or, you know, all the time. What if we all encouraged each other a little bit more? Wouldn't that be awesome? 

Luckily, although not everybody is good at (or works at) being an encouragement, some people are. I have one such friend, and I am immensely grateful for her. Once upon a time, we were in Sunday School together, so I saw her often. Later, our class began to get too big, so we split it into two. Good problem to have, but we wound up in different classes. Now we joke when we see each other that "hey, we do go to church together!" because we usually just see each other from a distance or in passing. 

But, let me tell you, she still encourages me. One time, after reading about how much I hate the cold, she brought me some of my favorite hot chocolate. She always remembers to tell me happy birthday sometime during the month. As a baby shower gift, she and her husband bought us a gift card to go out to eat, with the offer of babysitting to go with it. Genius. She always encourages me to write, which I love, but find it difficult to find the time (or brain capacity) to do. Just when I think I should shut my tiny little blog down, she tells me about reading it, and encourages me to keep at it. 

Yesterday, our Sunday School classes combined, and it was so good to look up across the room and see her smiling face waving at me. After class, I intended to make my way over and get a hug, but I ended up stopping to talk to someone else. Then I turned around to find her waiting for me. 

Thank you, friend, for your encouragement. Your smiling face and thoughtfulness bless my heart, sometimes when I least expect it. And may the rest of us be a little more like Barnabas. 


Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Can I be Honest (and Mushy) for a Minute?

I have cute kids. They make me smile, and laugh. They bring joy and entertainment. They make me want to scream and pull my hair out. I love 'em. I love the three-year-old imagination, and the five-month-old giggle. 

But, you know what? I loved their daddy first. 

That guy. Oh, that guy. He makes me so mad, I want to throw things. There are times when I think, "ugh! I hate you!" The funny thing is, during those times, the very next thought in my head is that love him. I do too (love him, that is). Nobody else makes me smile as quickly as he does. Nobody knows me, and encourages me, and supports me like he does. Nobody loves me like he does. I am so thankful for him. He's a great dad, but first he was a great husband. I struggle with insecurity in pretty much every aspect of my life...except when it comes to him. I never doubt that he loves me. In fact, if I could see myself a little more like he sees me, I'd be a lot better off. 

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Those Eyes

I have a three-year-old. That still seems strange to me, and the truth is she's almost halfway to four. Four?! Watching her grow has always been bittersweet. I enjoy each stage, but they pass so quickly. 

It's almost sadder with the second child. I look at those sweet baby cheeks, and I know from experience how quickly he'll grow up. I see that little toothless grin, and think how it'll be no time before he's three. Instead of my baby, who looks at me with such joy and wonder, he'll be the one being stubborn and testing every limit. It makes me so sad to know how quickly he'll grow up. Then I look in his eyes. 
Oh, those eyes. I get sucked into that beautiful, calming blue, and I feel better. Yes, he'll grow up too, just like his sister. And fast. But, at least his eyes will still be the same.