I Know I Owe You Much More Than This...

I am busy. B-U-S-Y. BUSY! The Holiday hustle and bustle is upon us all right now, and it is totally kicking my rear. I hate that I am losing so terribly. After Christmas is over I will share with you all what has been holding me hostage for the past week.

I want my life back!

Anywho, I did want to share a conversation that I had with The Girl tonight as we decorated the Big Tree. I will NOT allow any projects from keeping me from documenting moments like these. Even if I am a hostage.

D: Mom, are you going to decorate our big tree tonight?
me: I hope so. It looks terrible right now all bare.
D: Tell me when you are going to put the ribbon on. I want to help.
me: I'll let you know.

(I will admit that I totally said that last thing to appease her. The tree is 9.5 feet tall, people. She is NOT going to be able to provide any assistance to me whatsoever.)

Later in the evening as I am killing myself trying to get the ribbon wrapped evenly around our beast of a tree:
d: Mom! I saw you are working on the ribbon. I want to help too!
me: Sweetie, this is pretty hard. I don't know if I'll need your help quite yet.
(The Girl goes away for a second and then returns)
d: Mom, just so you know, I went ahead and gave brother something to do. You know, to keep him busy while we work.

Um. Thanks.

She has such a sweet heart.

Now it's time for me to return to my bread and water.

Thankfulness

Since it is Thanksgiving, it would seem appropriate that I would be writing about what I am thankful for this year. However, I think I would be writing this post regardless of the day that is showing up on the calendar.

Recently, we have been shocked with the news that our friend, Aidyn, along with her family, has been placed in a very difficult battle. She was recently diagnosed with a tumor in her spinal column. The doctors were pretty certain it is cancer.

For the last two days, we along with hundreds of others have been consumed with prayer on behalf of our friend. Today, saying we are "thankful", seems like a huge understatement. After a long surgery, in which the tumor was much more easily accessed than what they initially thought, and now that said tumor has the possibility of being benign, we are filled with much more than just thankfulness. We are filled with thankfulness, joy, and humility. We are filled with feelings of comfort and love. We are filled with feelings, that I cannot express properly through words.

We are thankful on this day that, even though He has billions of children, our God heard us and is answering our prayers. We are thankful for a God that has plans for us that are good, that prosper us, and give us a hope and a future. We are thankful for a God that comforts us, and even though we are faced with tragedy, He gives us a sense of peace that goes beyond all understanding. He is a God that holds us close when we are anxious, scared, and sad. Like a Dad who holds onto a frightened child. We are thankful for a God that seeks us out for a relationship with Him, and longs to grow us to the conformity of His son.

Saying I am thankful for my family and friends, and that I am thankful for our health just doesn't seem like quite enough. Although I am extremely thankful for these things, I am also keenly aware of our God's abundance. Abundant love, abundant grace, abundant peace, abundant comfort, abundant power, abundant righteousness, abundant ability to hear His children when they call out His name. He is a God of abundance, and he gives abundantly to His children.

I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.--John 16 : 23-24

Father God, our joy is complete.

Thank you.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Sometimes it Takes a Good Run to Get Your Head Screwed on Right

Life is full of struggles. Some are huge, while others just seem huge at first, then with twenty- twenty-hind-sight, they seem pretty small. Some struggles you will never forget. They grow you into who you are today. Other struggles you totally forget, and something will trigger a memory from that time. During that recollection you'll think to yourself, "Wow! I totally forgot all about that. I really thought it was the end of the world when "xyz" was going on." I never want to struggle in vain, I always want to grow from pain, but I hope this time of struggle is one I can wipe clean from my memory slate.

As I ran today, I spent time trying to figure out why I continue to stumble over a very small rock in my road. I came to realize that I have been holding onto this situation with a white knuckle grip. I kept asking God to please help me. I want to move on so badly. He pressed upon my heart that I have never let go of the situation. He can't fix something I won't surrender to Him completely. All this time I have been feeling like, "Well, if I just do this one thing," and, "I won't let this happen again," and, "I'll just not say this type of thing anymore."

While I don't think that God wants me to sit back and do absolutely nothing about this particular stumbling block, I also know he can't do anything at all until I fully trust and am at peace with the fact that He is in control. Ultimately, I can only do so much. After that it's up to Him. No matter how much I want a particular result to come about, I HAVE to be OK with it not turning out the way I want it to. I have to trust that if God says "No" to me, that it's because He is planning a bigger "Yes" for me later on down the road.

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."--Romans 8:28

Each day when I surrender my life to serve Him for the day, I have to do just that: Surrender. I know that this doesn't sound like rocket science here, but I think I say I would like to work and serve according to God's will, but then I still want to complete my agenda too. There is absolutely no way my agenda can be as wonderful as the one He has already planned out for me way in advance.

"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." --Ephesians 2:10

As I finished my run, I felt such a sense of peace. I feel like I have finally let go of this situation, and I know whatever comes about it is for my good. I know that I have a God that can conquer anything that is set before me. Struggling through something doesn't mean that He isn't there or doesn't care. Quite the opposite. It means He loves me enough to grow me. I can't complete the works He has for me without this growth. I've gotten so used to giving up when things get difficult. I use the excuse that, "It wasn't in His will for this to happen. It's just too hard." I am learning daily that hard work doesn't equal "not meant to be". It means simply, work harder! He's got something for me, but it's going to take some effort, a little sweat, maybe some tears, and a whole bunch of being on my knees before Him.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you."--Jeremiah 29:11-14

I am comforted in the fact that regardless of what happens in this particular situation, He has plans for me, and they are good.

Glory.

Why We Shouldn't Leave Money Lying Around

We had a little head to head with The Girl today. Usually, I don't like to blog about bad behavior. I don't like to give it the attention it was trying to seek out in the first place. But today, The Girl, took it to a whole new level. Since this blog is about preserving my Mommy Memories, I'll let this one story slide on in.

We took the kids to McD's for lunch today so that we could enjoy a different meal at a Mexican chain that the kids won't touch because they are kids, and they haven't discovered all the goodness that Mexican food has to offer them. They are still turned off by the spiciness of it all. Which, hello, is the best part. Hubs and I don't even waste our time or money trying to get them to understand. Instead, we have caved into their incessant whining and will buy them a Happy Meal. Plus, the toy at the end keeps them quiet just that much longer while we enjoy our Mexican goodness.

Well, the toy became a problem. It wouldn't stop making noise. Mostly because The Girl would not stop making it make noise. If you want know anything about me at all, it's that I can't stand repetitive noises. I lose my mind faster than you can shake a stick. So we gave The Girl a warning about the toy. We told her she had to turn it off until we got home, and then she could play with it in the toy room only.

(You've got to love the fact that those free toys are so annoying, and that they are also instantly your child's favorite.)

So, not so surprisingly, The Girl tested out our threat. Normally, I would have given just one more warning, but she was so blatantly testing us, I had no choice. We took the toy away.

Wow. She was mad.

As we got out of the car when we got home, she mumbled something to herself about how she thought her daddy needed to pay her back for that toy. She felt as though he needed to compensate her monetarily for the toy he was now going to keep for the afternoon.

Ya. That sounds like it would totally happen.

Well, as we went inside, she decided to take it a step further. She headed straight up to her daddy's office and grabbed a twenty spot he had laying on his desk . She then marched right back down stairs and told her daddy, "I'll be keeping this until you give me my toy back!" Hubs and I just looked at each other a bit astonished, and then he said, "What?"

She repeated, "Since you took my toy, I am going to take your twenty dollars. I think that's fair."

You know what I think? I think that is one gutsy five year old. I think we have a long road ahead of us in this parenting journey we are on. I also think that, when she was in her room with the door shut after her punishment, I about died laughing.

I am still floored at the thoughts that were going through her little mind when she confronted her father with his money and gave him an ultimatum.

She's braver than I thought.

Heaven help us.

As If Mornings Weren't Hard Enough

It's been a bit difficult around these parts for me during breakfast time. It seems as though my children's finicky eating habits may not fall too far from the tree. Some might call me finicky as well. I even have a hard time watching some types of food get eaten. For example, really juicy meat will send me right over the edge. I also can't stand the look of sausage. Not ground meat or patty sausage, but the link variety. I saw a picture of some link type sausage in a magazine today that was touting some fantastic recipe using sausage. I am sorry, but there is not a talented enough food photographer in the entire world who can make a big old fat piece of link sausage look like something I want to put into my mouth and chew.

Nope.

No way.

Ain't happening.

I am sitting here with heeby jeebies just thinking about it.

Where were we?

Oh yea, food aversions.

So recently, The Girl, has really been, unknowingly, making me sick to my stomach at breakfast. Along with really juicy (read slimy or fatty) meat and link sausage, I can not stand to watch or think about someone eating soggy cereal. And if you want to see me gag, go ahead and drink the milk out of your bowl when your done.

Oh ya, I just gagged a little.

Please do not think that I am judging you for these things if you do them. I clearly understand that I am weird, and am also in the minority. It seems as though most people do like to drink the milk from their bowls after their cereal is gone. Which is why there are actually bowls out there with straws built into them. Also, I know people who choose their breakfast cereal based on the flavor of milk that is left in the bowl when they are done.

Clearly, I am a person with weird food issues. Thankfully, I have learned to deal with them, as well as the rest of the people who have to live with me, even though they get highly annoyed at times.

I'm sure that you have probably guessed that The Girl likes to wait for her cereal to get really soggy, and when she is done getting out the sog, she slurps up all the milk in her bowl.

Oh heavens, I can hardly stand it.

I actually have to leave the room most of the time. I definitely can't watch her eat the sog, and when she tips the bowl to her lips, I usually find something else I need to do away from the kitchen.

I refuse to say anything to her because I know what she is eating is good for her. Also, she really really likes it, and I don't want to ruin that for her.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, The Little Man can't stand to have milk in his cereal. So he eats dry cereal and has a glass of milk for breakfast. Lately, he has been particularly fond of "granola". I call it "granola" because it's actually just oats and honey. Since The Girl has a peanut allergy, and most nuts are processed with peanuts, we don't get granola that contains the yummy stuff in it like almonds, cashews, or walnuts. I guess at that point, the makers of granola have decided that if you don't want nuts, you don't want anything else in your "granola" either. So it's just oats and honey. That's it!

Can you even imagine eating a bowl of oats and honey or "granola", if you wish, without the milk? The Little Man puts his face in a bowl of it almost every morning. Just like a horse with a bag of oats.

My mouth and throat are dry just thinking about it.

Maybe that's why The Girl is slurping down her cereal milk.

She's got sympathy dry mouth.

Outtakes

Christmas card season is upon us. I don't mean that I think they should be sent out yet, but that if I am going to get a card out with a picture, I have to get working on it. Oh sure, I have pictures from all year long that I could choose from, but then I couldn't torture myself with a high pressure photo shoot with the kids. Frankly, that's where all the fun is at. I think kids of photographers have to be the most difficult kids to get pictures of. They are so numb to the camera and being posed, they can't help but just act out. Here's proof of my children's PCS (Photographer's Child Syndrome).

First up, remember the problem I was having with The Little Man not knowing how to smile naturally for pictures these days? Well, we are still dealing with said problem. I realize that this isn't PCS per say, but more just an age thing. Nonetheless, it's still an issue.

Here is saying, "What do you mean I am not smiling normal?"


"You mean like this?"


What? I have to have my eyes open? I need to look at the camera?" What's a natural smile with a just a little teeth?"


Then there is The Girl. She loves the attention of the camera, but gets bored waiting for brother to get the smile right. When The Girl is bored, she gets silly. Today, she also had a problem with blinking from the strobe. So, I got quite a few pictures of this look:


That look is completely natural.

Put the two together and it's pure insanity.

Here we are, I am trying to get a natural smile out of The Little Man by making silly comments.

It really wasn't that funny.


A very natural and cute smile from The Little Man. The Girl is still over doing it by just a smidge.


Nothing here but pure goofiness and disobedience:


More crazy antics:


Here I was focusing on The Little Man. Just trying for both, that natural smile and eye contact. Meanwhile, someone else needed reigning in:


**Sigh**

Thankfully, we still have Halloween candy left over. I whipped out my super duper Mom Skillz, and bribed the heck out of them.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

They're Baaaack!

I'm not sure if you remember The Little Man's fashion "Must Have's" last winter and early spring? We'll, with the first snow of the season happening yesterday morning, it took about five seconds for them to re-appear.



Both kids were so excited to see the snow. I admit, I thought it was kind of cool to see it too. It's been a long time coming! I can't believe we made it to mid-November before a flake flew. No worries, today was beautiful, and the rest of week promises to be as well. Just a hiccup.

I wonder how much longer the boots and hat will fit?

I'm sure we'll see them all season long.

That's OK, it saves me money on haircuts and shoes.