This Much I Know is True

In life we learn new things daily. If you're like me, you have to learn some of those lessons over and over. Here's some of what I am going through right now...

1)If you break a child's bad habit, they will replace it with something else...almost immediately.

Since Pax has given up his paci, he has found some weird replacements in, what seems to be, overnight. Although he no longer needs his paci, he does need specific crib bedding. After his sheets and blanket needed to be changed this weekend, he insisted he couldn't go to sleep with the new ones. I had no idea that such an attachment had occurred with his blankets and sheet. After fussing for a half hour, we convinced him that he needed to use a different blanket for a while (the other stuff is dirty and not going to get into the washer until next weekend). He was ok with it as long as he got to pick the new blanket out. To top it off, he also has to have his little Elmo doll in just the right position, and Elmo has to be covered up by the blanket and his Baboo (the other security blanket) just so. I was surprised to learn that Elmo must have his eyes covered up at bedtime. I learned that lesson last night at 9:30pm, 12:45am, and then again today at 2:00pm. So, I ask you...which would have been easier: to allow the paci, or all the new quirks we are dealing with? Funny boy!

2)You should never brag about how well your child is doing at something.

I can't tell you how many times this lesson has come to bite me in the backside. I still continue to make this mistake ALL the time. I mean look at me bragging away in #1 up there about Pax giving up the paci.

I was discussing with Scott earlier in the weekend, that I thought Paxton had been doing really well with a small stuttering problem he has been fighting for a few months now. You know the kind, when a small child's mind goes so much faster than they are able to speak because they just haven't learned enough words. I never got worried that something was wrong, but definitely noticed the stuttering was getting pretty bad.

So for about a week now, Pax really hasn't stumbled over words that often. He was doing really well. That is until about 15 minutes after I bragged on him to Scott. Then we were back to where we were about a week previous, making me look like I have no clue what I am talking about. Thankfully, Scott has also experienced this phenomenon so I didn't feel like too big of a fool.

3)Realizing you've made a parenting mistake and trying to remedy the situation isn't easy.

Scott and I mess up ALL the time as parents (like how I just took Scott down with me there). Sometimes it's big, and sometimes it's not, but all the time it is hard to fix.

We have quite the little weekly ritual with making chocolate chip cookies (yup, I said weekly). Once a week Scott and the kids make cookies together. This process involves eating of chocolate chips, brown sugar, and of course, cookie dough. Then, after they are baked, each child will get to have 1/2 a cookie. Somehow, it has taken us a very long while to figure out that that, my friends, is just too much sugar for the little ones. So we have tried to remedy that situation much to my children's chagrin. This isn't an easy process. It is one that Scott assures me takes a slow weaning as to not put any one into shock or withdrawal.

Tonight, each child only got 2 chocolate chips and they had to choose whether they wanted cookie dough or a cooked cookie. You guessed it, they both asked for cookie dough (instant gratification) and then bawled their sweet little hearts out when we had to withhold the cookies after they came out of the oven. Thankfully, we aren't going cold turkey on this.

4)If you take a child away from his normal eating/sleeping routine for too long, something is bound to get backed up...I'm not talking about traffic here.

Poor Paxton suffered all day Saturday from his parents lack of scheduling/planning. No fruit, greasy food, lots of crackers, and no "alone time" doesn't create a very happy toddler. Thankfully, some chocolate covered raisins came to the rescue.

Why I have to learn that lesson more than once is beyond me....

5)You use your middle finger A LOT...unfortunately, some use it more than others.

Thankfully, I am not one of those people, because I couldn't use it even if I wanted to. Today, as I was running late to the DR (surprise surprise) I slammed my right middle finger tip in the door...HARD. So hard in fact, that I actually lost my breath for a few seconds, and when it came back, I wasn't too quiet. I actually cried like a child because I couldn't do anything but. I have a nice black fingernail and a bruise that wraps around the entire tip of my finger.

Since it still hasn't ceased from throbbing, I have found that you really do a lot of stuff with your right (or left if you are left-handed) middle finger. I know this isn't rocket science to most of you, but your middle finger sticks out there a bit further than the rest of them do. I am trying with all my might to be as careful as I can with this new injury, but I still managed to bang my finger twice more today...GOOD GOLLY! I think that the pain is similar to open-heart surgery without anesthesia. Since I haven't actually had surgery without anesthesia, I can't be positive, but WOW there are a lot of little nerves in your fingers...again, not rocket science here people...just the simple facts.

So next time you button up, open a jar of whatever, grip onto something tightly, try to take off your seatbelt, type a long blog...whatever...just stop and be thankful your middle fingers are in good working order.

And that folks, is what I know to be true.

I can now feel my heart beating in my middle finger...

Polar Bound...Picture Palooza!

Well, I am happy to say, that I think Scott and I will be winning the coveted "Parents of the Year Award". Our Polar Express adventure was AMAZING. One that, some may say, is only rivaled by Disney World. The kids had an absolute blast, and so did we, watching them.

We were so blessed that it started to snow right before the train pulled in. Not just any kind of snow, but big, fat, slowly drifting snowflakes. It looked just like the movie. It also made for quite a soggy ride, but we didn't really notice with all the hot cocoa coursing through our veins. Delanie was thrilled that the conductor did actually come around and punch our tickets, and that the guy serving the cocoa was dressed just like the waiters in the movie.

We got to watch it snow the whole way up to the North Pole. After we pulled in, Santa boarded our train and went to each child and presented them with "The First Gift of Christmas". If you know the movie, it was a jingle bell. I am very happy to say that those jingle bells will be put on our Christmas tree this year, and for years to come, as a reminder of this year's special occasion, and are officially retired from ringing. They sure rung their little heart's out the WHOLE way back from the North Pole, and truly deserve retirement.

I will never forget the look on my kids' faces when the train first pulled into the station, along with all the squeals of excitement through out the night. I felt like a kid again living the whole experience through my kids.

Beautiful.

Of course I have pictures, and videos. So sit back and relax, and take in the Polar Express!

Here's the whole fam, waiting on the arrival...Snow is falling! (No, you're not imagining it, Scott CHOSE not to wear his coat).


Picture of the train...through the snow...See how much there was!


The train is arriving. (Yes, it's sideways...again! aaaaarrrgg...apparently I am STILL not thinking)The squealing you hear at the beginning is Delanie. She was so excited she just couldn't contain herself! The squealing at the end is me...I guess I was excited to see my kids so excited hehe.


The train pulled in and people loading.



Delanie all loaded in



Pax all loaded in
(for some reason this ENTIRE trip, my son closed his eyes ON PURPOSE for all his pictures, if you see him with his eyes open, it's a blessing!)



The whole family loaded on the train
(the fogginess is from the camera being so wet from all the snow...thank goodness it's just the point and shoot!) See Lanie holding up her ticket! Pax's eyes are open!


Getting served hot chocolate...sadly there were no song and dance with acrobatic moves, but the fact that no hot chocolate was spilled (by him or my children) does deserve a round of applause.


Delanie checking out her punched ticket


Self portrait with Delanie. I thought it was good until after I uploaded it and noticed my daughter sticking out her tongue at me!




The kids with Santa loving their "First Gift of Christmas"


Pax with his gift


Delanie with her gift


This is what happens after a WONDERFUL Polar Express experience.
Pax crashes out...he just couldn't take anymore...if he only would've stayed that way all night long, but I won't ruin such a cheery blog post with what happened twice later that night.
No nap+lots of sugar+over stimulation too close to bedtime=2 night terrors to share with the whole hotel. Poor kid...Thank goodness he's DARN cute. He was easily forgiven by all.

All in all, I would HIGHLY recommend this trip to anyone who has children. It was a very special and a magical Polar Adventure!

Our Winter Get Away

Today was the day! I haven't yet mentioned it here, but a few months back, we decided we were going to take the kids (along with the Wright cousins) to experience the Polar Express!



In Durango, Colorado, there is the Durango/Silverton railroad. In the Winter time they run a mock Polar Express. It is an hour long ride with cocoa, carols, Santa, and sleigh bells. I have been anticipating this weekend for months, and it finally is here. We kept it a secret from the kids. Initially we didn't tell them because it was so far away that it would probably send us to the loony bin with the daily questioning on when it was coming, how long do we have to wait, and can't we just go tomorrow. Then as we got closer, I started to worry about if we weren't going to be able to go because of weather or an illness, so we kept the secret longer. Finally, as it got to this past week, I realized that it would be so fun to just surprise the kids with it on the morning we left. I am SO glad we did. It was really special. I video tapped their reactions this morning when we sat them on the couch and told them....I think they were excited! ***Warning when you view this video, you will leave the blog, to get back you need to use the back button***

SURPRISE!

After we announced what we were going to do for the rest of the day, we were off to pack and head out the door for what we thought would be a 6 hour drive.

I had NO doubts it was going to be a long drive/day, but we managed to make it just a bit longer. It took us 8 hours to get here today. I think we pushed sweet Pax to his breaking point tonight. The poor guy was a victim of mommy and daddy's poor planning and ended up going about 7 hours without eating! We ran into a bit of snow on one of the passes and slowed down our day significantly.

In the end, we made it all mentally intact, and I think the kids kept the "Are we almost there yet?" s to under 300. That is pretty good considering the amount of excitement they were experiencing for what was to come. It helped that we brought the DVD player (Seriously, how in the world did we travel back in the day?). We watched Polar Express and listened to Christmas music for the majority of the drive. It was quite the sticky sweet scene if I do say so myself...well here, take a look for yourself. Here is a pic of the kids watching Polar Express....(this is when we were unaware that we had a good 6 hours still ahead of us and we had already traveled 2 hours).

Tomorrow we will spend the day shopping, swimming, and going to the train museum. Then after dinner, we will get into our jammies (new Christmas jammies I might add) and board the Polar Express for a very magical ride to see Santa.

I can't wait to share it with you!

Our Little Star

Today was a big day in the land of Pre-K. It was the day of the big Christmas Program! Just like picture day, Delanie gets to wear a dress AND tights to school. Top that off with some black patten leather shoes, and you've got a very special day. That doesn't even include the fact that she was a star (not of the show, but the kind in the sky)! Of course I brought my camera.

Here's the deal. I think I might be going brain dead. I couldn't for the life of me get a good picture....I know...of all days. Furthermore, I completely forgot that you can not take a video with the camera being held in a vertical orientation. DUHHH! Seriously, people, you have my deepest apologies when you watch these videos. Just tilt your head to the left and enjoy! I think my mind is focused on the fact that tomorrow we leave for a true Polar Express adventure! I know, I know you are dying to know about it...but, I'll have save it for tomorrow because it was a BIG day in the land of Pre-K!

OK, the (ehem) pictures.

Delanie as a star (1 of 3)


Here she is twinkling her little heart out:


Lastly, she is soaking up all the glory as the audience applauds...what a ham!


After the program was over, there were refreshments. Cookies, lemonade, and water were to be enjoyed by all...all except Delanie whose peanut allergy kept her from partaking of the refreshments. I felt so badly for her. She just wanted to be rewarded for a job well done, and be apart of her class...even cookies at home didn't mend her little broken heart. It was really sad. I tried to get a picture of her in her dress and tights in a place where the lighting was a bit better and I could see more than just glowing red eyes. Well, I just got more of the same because she couldn't stop crying long enough to smile. So here she is...

crying over missed cookies:


Paxton on the other hand, well he was happy as could be. He just saw his sister on stage with a big star on her head, and he was fed snacks (brought from home) through out the whole performance.

Pax hamming it up:


Now for some video...again I apologize for any cricks in your neck that come from watching these... (side note, each one of these links will take you out of the blog, you will have to use your back button to come back and see the rest)



Delanie as the Star



Delanie spreading some Christmas cheer



Paxton saying prayer at the end of the program

Giving Myself a Little Pat Pat

Today, I broke the sound barrier...in my world. I have never claimed to be a fast runner. In fact, most would call what I do a jog. I won't even go into exact times here people, but let's just say that I run (ok jog) at a moderate pace. I will admit though, when I first got my Garmin watch, and I down loaded my first run off it, I looked at the fabulous chart that showed how fast I ran and the elevation changes, and found that I was much slower than I thought. I mean, this software was telling me I was considered a "Fast Walker"! WHAT!!! I KNOW what I was doing was running, and further more, I would LOVE to see someone "walking" at that speed. There would be so much arm swinging and booty shaking, that I would probably die of laughter. Thankfully, Scott and I found the settings and were able to make some adjustments. Apparently, it was set up for an Olympian because it didn't even consider you running until you were at a 6 minute mile (That's REALLY fast folks).

I digress.

Today, my sister in-law, who is not quite at Olympian standards, but is just a few minutes shy, blessed me with a run today. We ran about 4.5 miles, although I am sure she ran much further because of all the running ahead and then turning back around to pick me up again business.

I have been trying for quite a while (read 5 months) to reach a running time goal. Today, I was set up for success. I am not sure if it was the cooler weather, that we were inappropriately dressed for the cooler weather, or that my speedy, super woman sister-in-law provided me with just enough inspiration, but whatever it was, it pushed me right on over the edge. I am happy to say that I reached my goal and even beat it by 6 seconds...may not sound like much I know, but for a "Fast Walker" it's big!

Thanks Jen!

Super Market Cowgirl

For the past year and a half, I have refused to take my children to the grocery store. Oh sure, there are times when I don't have a choice, but 9 times out of 10 I will go on a Sunday with out them. Yup, the weekends are really busy at the grocery store, but I will deal with long lines and grocery cart pile ups any day of the week if I can shop in silence. Did you know that they play music at the grocery store? Sometimes I even hum along! Once the kids got old enough to A) not both fit into the cart, and B) very vocally let me know all of their grocery needs, I decided it was time for me to leave them at home napping with daddy, and choose the crowds over the insanity.

Lately, my busy schedule has not afforded me the luxury of going during the Sunday afternoon nap. This leaves me two options. I can go in the evening after dinner with 1 of the children while the other stays home with daddy, or I can take both of them on Monday morning. I am sure you know which one I pick. Although the allure of no crowds beckons me on Monday morning, as well as the idea that I can comfortably veg out for the rest of Sunday evening, all I have do to is remember: 2 children, 1 cart, and 25 aisles. NO COMPETITION!

The past 2 times I have chosen to shop on a Sunday evening, I have taken Delanie with me. I have been so pleasantly surprised at how nice it is to shop with her. There have been some big changes in the past year and a half. For instance, she walks right beside the cart and doesn't wander. She does occasionally hop on the back of the cart making it a bit harder to maneuver, but in all honestly, it is helpful sometimes because it helps me get to where I am going faster, and if I knock something over or run over someones toes, I can blame her causing a blind spot...as opposed to when this happens and I am by myself. Also, she can get things off the shelf for me when told what product is needed. This eliminates WHOLE AISLES sometimes people! Lastly, she provides some good conversation, yes, it is 4 1/2 year old conversation, but conversation none-the-less. I didn't realize that I was actually kind of bored at the super market until she has come along. I learn amazing things from her about her day, who she likes, what happens at school, her hopes and dreams (ok...I am hoping and dreaming on that one), and much more from our little outings. The girl can tell some crazy stories!

Just when I think, "Wow, I have such a grown-up little lady on my hands," she reminds me she is still my little girl.

"Mommy can I have a penny," she asks very nicely.
"What for?" I question.
"I want to ride the horsey. I haven't ridden him in soooo long!" she replies.

Because it has been such a long time, and I loved riding the horse as a kid, I give her a penny and send her on her way. She mounts her horse with joy, and plops that penny in. It jerks and moves...back and forth, back and forth. She is smiling ear to ear. I look back at the cashier and the register to make sure that my loot is ringing up correctly, and just then,

"YEEE HAW!! GIDDY UP Princess!" echos through out the store.

She's the Super Market Cowgirl!

I'll be shopping with her more often.

The ABC's

One of the biggest reasons I love to run is because I have found it gives me a very focused one on one time with God. A time for prayer and praise, and even though I am running, a time of rest. I am thankful that each day he meets me there.

During my run today, I did an exercise that I learned about at a seminar that I attended at a Women's Retreat a few years ago. It really keeps me focused and the run goes by so fast. Basically, you go through the alphabet and come up with a praise for each letter. I tend to focus on God's character, but I am sure that you could praise just about anything that you are thankful for.

Today, I got seriously stuck on some letters (I hate when I repeat the same words from a time before), but thankfully the music I was listening to and the lessons in my current bible study spurred me on. Thank you Beth More, Chris Tomlin, Third Day, Jeremy Camp, Switchfoot, and Newsboys.

Here are my ABC's:

I Praise you Father because:

you are the Ancient of Days
you are Bigger than anything I need to overcome
my slate is Clean everyday
you are my Deliverer
you are the Everlasting Father
you are my Fortress guarding my heart and spirit
you are so Generous with your love
you are so Holy
you are Immanuel--God with us
You are Just
you are the King of kings
You are the Light of the world
you are Mighty and strong
of Never-ending love, strength, forgiveness, patience, grace
You are Omnipotent
you are Patient with me
you can Quiet my spirit when I am desperate
you are my Rock
you are Strong when/where I am weak
you are Trustworthy
your Unfailing love
you areVictorious
you are Worthy of all praise
your eXcessive(cut me a break...X is hard!) faithfulness
you keep me Yearning for more
you Zealously seek me

That's a lot to be thankful for...