Wednesday, July 27, 2011

...the little things.

It's 7:42am. I'm sitting at my computer preparing my homeschool lessons for this next year. Just 10 minutes ago I just heard 3 footsteps across our wood floor, just 3 tiny steps and no other sounds. Immediately as I heard them I knew...Jentzen, that is Jentzen who is awake. Those weren't Quaid, Ava's or even Keira's footsteps. They were Jentzen's.

It still blows my mind that a mother can do that. When I was young I used to be amazed at the fact that a mother could hear their baby cry out of 1000 and know exactly which cry was from their own. And not it's me. When I'm downstairs and the kids are up, I can tell from their cry, whine, or shout exactly what happened. I know if they are hurt, if someone hit them, if someone took a toy from them, or if they're just frustrated. Just from the tone, volume, and length of cry. I usually get it right. I know if it requires me to go to them, or if I should wait until they will come to me. I love that because it means I know my children, I've spent time with them, I've paid attention to them, I've taken time to take note of the little details of their lives. I haven't gotten too busy with the callings of life, housework, and everything else to not know the little things. There is no replacement for that kind of joy...the joy of the little things.

This brings to me what I will be meditating on today. It is the same with my Lord? Have I spent time with Him, do I know Him? Do I hear the small quiet footsteps and know that it's Him? When I hear something, do I know him deeply enough to discern what is required of me? Have I gotten too busy and distracted to not realize what is the Lord and what is the flesh pulling me in the other direction?

No other person can know my children like I do, no one else can tell me about them, can make me hear the difference in the footsteps. No one else can tell me the difference between my child's cry. Those just aren't things that can be put into words.

Knowing the Lord is not something that someone else can do for you either. You can't find life in another's relationship with Him...it has to be your own. I can't know Jesus because someone else does. And there is absolutely no replacement for the ultimate joy of hearing footsteps or a quiet whisper and knowing....that is you Lord!

PS...I now am hearing farting noises from the other room involving a mouth and an arm. Now, I'm FOR SURE it's Jentzen!

Sunday, July 24, 2011

I am an early riser...which I love that I love. It's amazing how much one can get done between the hours of 5am and 8am with no children around. Being that I get up that early on a regular basis...I REALLY look forward to mornings I get to sleep in! I still love doing that too!

I love waking up and not having to get out of bed. I love hearing little feet running around the house. And most of all, I love the kids running into our room and jumping into bed. It's usually becuase they're hungry and not really because they just can't wait to see us after a good 12 hours away from us during the night. But I think what I want.

Keira came running in this morning, hopped over me and then saw Nathan.

"I'm going to sit on daddy's face!!!!" Probably not exactly what he wanted to hear because he was still sleeping. But Keira being none to concerned with Nathan's need for some REM's...grabbed a pillow, slappeed it on his head, and hopped right on top. I was laughing....he was not. So he flipped her off. She felt slighted of course...I mean really! Who wouldn't want a little girl suffocating him with a pillow mid dream? I was okay with it because she of course came cuddling right in with me.

"Oh Keira! Come give me some cuddles, you're my little cutey girl!" She snuggled right in.

"Yeah, I am! And daddy's too!"

"You're daddy's cutey girl too??"

"Yep, and Ava's, and Jackie's. They like me too!"

Raising a confident girl....check! Mothering duties done for the day....check!

Friday, July 22, 2011

The Big 3 - 0

I turned 30 two days ago, July 20th, 2011. I knew it was coming as all birthdays eventually do. I wondered if it would feel any different. Most of my friends have already passed this milestone. My dear friend Jess on her 30th birthday commented how she felt by the time she turned 30, she would have it all together. But somehow when the day actually came she realized that it was not so much like that. I am 30, yet feel like I have way more to learn than I know already. I remember being college aged and looking at the 30 year old crowd and thinking how old and mature they were. And to think that now youngens might be looking at me that way, well it's just plain not true! I'm still working life out, and don't even have it close to figured out! And Praise the Lord that my children are His, because if it's up to me show them the ropes of life...oh boy!

Maybe it will be different when I turn 40...I guess I'll be able to ask Nathan about that soon...he he he :) And if not then, maybe when I turn 60?? I'll be able to ask RW about that soon too :)

Deb took me and the 3 oldest kids out to lunch. I played tic-tac-toe on the menu with Ava, Jentzen got more ketchup on his good shirt than he got in his mouth, and Quaid finished every menu activity and crumb of food there was on his plate. The kids shared my birthday sundae...overall a successful outing.

We then headed off to see "Annie" at the Stages Theater. They patiently waited for it to begin. After the very first scene, about 5 minutes into the show, the lights went dark while they changed the set. "Is it over?" from all the kids. Guess I should take them out more. They're obviously sub-par in the understanding of the arts and theater. Jentzen was quite sure that he did NOT like Miss Hannigan and was asking when Annie was going to come back. Ava must have been sitting on her legs in a way that made her feet fall asleep. My peaceful viewing of the show was interrupted by, "Mom! When I squish my toes, I can't even feel it!!" As they tingled back awake there were some funny faces, groaning, and twisting around in her chair. Is it possible she has never had that happen before??

The fun soon ended and quickly went back to the real life...making dinner, cleaning up the kitchen, and continuing on to cleaning out my basement. Ahhhh...the good life!

It did however end on an up note. My wonderful hubby played two games of Sorry with me. The very best present possible. Although, he walloped me both games...sheesh, it was my birthday and still no mercy! I can't really blame him. We have a running total of wins since we've been married. He wasn't about to let a minor occasion like my 30th birthday ruin his competitive edge. He's a bit ahead of me.....I would have done the same!

Monday, July 11, 2011

Summer....

* It's summer, we've been busy outside swimming and sweating, hence no blogs.
* We don't have landscape fabric under our landscaping, weeds take advantage of that, hence no blogs.
* I've been on a mission to empty, de-clutter, and wash the inside and out of every cabinet, shelf and storage place in my house, hence no blogs.
* Nathan posts every detail of our life on Facebook so I feel redundant most of the time, hence no blogs.

So I guess this is for those who aren't "friends" with Nathan :) And if you are a friend, stop reading now, because you already know all of this.

1. Watching your child jump off the diving board in the deep end for the first time, in front of all the big kids and swim to the edge makes a momma proud.
2. I have THE BEST friend ever in the world. If anyone dares to argue that, just go home now, because I'll win.
3. Last minute $5 movie nights with your hubby are way fun. A niece who makes it all possible is even better.
4. "Who flung poo"...a new saying at our house.
5. A child asking, "Daddy are you going to put that on Facebook?" makes a momma chuckle and roll her eyes...just a little :)
6. Quaid is two for two with trophy winning events in Cub Scouts....thanks to a dad who couldn't resist Googling "How to build the fastest raingutter regatta boat."
7. Buying a half a cow is totally the way to go! Coming home to it stacked perfectly in your freezer without lifting a finger is even better!
8. The kids thinking that "going to Iowa" means going to one specific place or building called "Iowa" is a bit frustrating and takes the entire 6 hour car ride to explain!
9. Jentzen got stitches in his head a few weeks ago...a family first. It's even better when I'm already working!
10. Watching Keira boss her siblings around the park, making them do whatever she wants them to, go where she wants them to, and help her however she needs it is a bit amusing.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

I found this post that i never finished...it was awhile ago. But not so long ago that I don't remember this glorious night. I might never forget it!

I'm pretty sure this was at least day 5 of 5 work days in a row. One of them was probably a day I had to be at work at 3am and work till 3pm...you know, someting along those lines. I threw out the suggestion that Nathan could make dinner.

There is no better dinner than one I didn't make. Nathan delivered in a big way. Chicken Fried Rice! I realize that the picture looks sort of like a pile of goo...it's truly mis-representated. It was awesome....Kids, your Daddy can cook!!




And if Daddy's cooking, it most certainly involves steak...and lots of it!


I'm sure the fact that my kids were already in their jammies, ready for bed, at dinnertime was no coincidence. Pretty sure after my work day and probable lack of sleep, and Daddy's slaving in the kitchen all night...the whole family did indeed, go straight to bed after dinner!


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