Check out my friends cookies. She has an amazing gift!
www.sugarchicbydawn.blogspot.com
She has made us Buckeye cookies, Harry Potter cookies, and Mickey Mouse themed cookies...and I can't wait to see what we will have her do for Zachary's 6th birthday!
The Joyful and Tired Mom
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
I've Often Wondered
Over the years I have just come to accept, by faith, that there are mysteries of God I will never fully understand; and I'm ok with that. I don't want to be all-knowing. Who wants that pressure? I'll leave the big stuff to God. So when it comes to questions and mysteries of the universe I am not one to sit and ponder questions I am not convinced can ever be answered.
With that said however, there is a mystery of God that I would LOVE to understand...and that is how on earth He reveals Himself, His greatness, His splendor, His forgiveness, His approachability, His love, and His grace to a child in a way they can comprehend.
At night when praying with our boys I will sometimes just ask God to reveal Himself to them in a way they can understand. I believe He can and has done that for them, and believe He will continue to do so throughout their lives.
However, because we are human there can sometimes be a glitch in our understanding. Case in point:
Last night I took Drew to Children's-again-for his asthma. As he was struggling to breath in the backseat after a failed breathing treatment at home he says to me from the backseat (unprompted),"Mommy, I don't need to be afraid. Jesus is always with me. He is always with me. He lives in my tummy though and can't get out because He's too big. Yeah, He's too big. But a bunny can get out of my tummy because it's really small." Well ok then! Not exactly what we've been teaching him about Jesus, but it'll do for now.
So apparently last night Drew had a "fever in his head, wheezing in his chest, and a bunny and Jesus living in his tummy."
I absolutely love his innocence. I love how his little mind works. I love his heart and faith in a God that will never leave him, so he never has to be afraid...even if that God's bunkmate is a bunny for now.
Until next time...I'm hoping for healthy kiddos, clear lungs, and Jesus moving from Drew's tummy to his heart.
The Future-Pastor's Momma (ha),
The Joyful and Tired Mom
With that said however, there is a mystery of God that I would LOVE to understand...and that is how on earth He reveals Himself, His greatness, His splendor, His forgiveness, His approachability, His love, and His grace to a child in a way they can comprehend.
At night when praying with our boys I will sometimes just ask God to reveal Himself to them in a way they can understand. I believe He can and has done that for them, and believe He will continue to do so throughout their lives.
However, because we are human there can sometimes be a glitch in our understanding. Case in point:
Last night I took Drew to Children's-again-for his asthma. As he was struggling to breath in the backseat after a failed breathing treatment at home he says to me from the backseat (unprompted),"Mommy, I don't need to be afraid. Jesus is always with me. He is always with me. He lives in my tummy though and can't get out because He's too big. Yeah, He's too big. But a bunny can get out of my tummy because it's really small." Well ok then! Not exactly what we've been teaching him about Jesus, but it'll do for now.
So apparently last night Drew had a "fever in his head, wheezing in his chest, and a bunny and Jesus living in his tummy."
I absolutely love his innocence. I love how his little mind works. I love his heart and faith in a God that will never leave him, so he never has to be afraid...even if that God's bunkmate is a bunny for now.
Until next time...I'm hoping for healthy kiddos, clear lungs, and Jesus moving from Drew's tummy to his heart.
The Future-Pastor's Momma (ha),
The Joyful and Tired Mom
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Just Because
There isn't anything in particular that is driving my desire to write this blog...I just simply want to put it out there-I love my husband.
He is so incredibly perfect for me. He wouldn't be perfect for someone else, I know that. I am not saying he's perfect. I am just saying that he is perfect for me. He balances me in ways no one else can. He affirms me in who I am as a wife, a mother, and a friend. He is kind. He is hysterical! He works out with a trainer with me, and doesn't allow pride to get in the way of us having fun and laughing together. He is polite. He is an incredible father. He is always there to lend a hand to my family if there is a need. He sacrifices his time and works overtime so I am able to stay at home with our children. He comes home every day from work and immediately begins playing with the boys-wrestle mania in our house every day! ...and there is so much more.
He is a good man. He is a good man that has allowed the transforming power of God to change his life. I am so grateful for him every day. I am so thankful to call him my husband.
Totally in Love,
The Joyful and Tired Mom
He is so incredibly perfect for me. He wouldn't be perfect for someone else, I know that. I am not saying he's perfect. I am just saying that he is perfect for me. He balances me in ways no one else can. He affirms me in who I am as a wife, a mother, and a friend. He is kind. He is hysterical! He works out with a trainer with me, and doesn't allow pride to get in the way of us having fun and laughing together. He is polite. He is an incredible father. He is always there to lend a hand to my family if there is a need. He sacrifices his time and works overtime so I am able to stay at home with our children. He comes home every day from work and immediately begins playing with the boys-wrestle mania in our house every day! ...and there is so much more.
He is a good man. He is a good man that has allowed the transforming power of God to change his life. I am so grateful for him every day. I am so thankful to call him my husband.
Totally in Love,
The Joyful and Tired Mom
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Oh-If You Only Knew...
A few months ago my 6 year old nephew asked my sister-in-law what she did all day. I will tell you what she does all day: she is a nurse practitioner at Children's Hopsital in the cardiology department 20+ hours a week, and she is a very involved parent raising four boys 8 and under. And she is also a marriage mentor through their church. That's what she is doing!
But honestly, I can understand why a 6 year old may have no concept of what his parent actually does during the day and would question her. It was totally innocent. Very sweet. Hysterical to most parents. And it endeared me even more to my nephew.
I can understand a child not having any concept what his parents do; but it is baffling to me how an adult can have NO CLUE what a day in the life of a parent consists of...I mean, no clue.
Yesterday I met with a trainer for the very first time. He was, and is, great! But in our initial meeting he was trying to guage what my life looks on a daily basis and he says to me, "So you're a stay at home mom? You probably sit most of the day." Hahahahahahaha. Yes. Yes. I sit 90% of the time; the other 10% I spend standing in front of my refrigerator.
The thing is, I would never expect someone that hasn't spent a lot of time with young children to understand what a day looks like and how it unfolds minute to minute. So as I was going through my morning I thought that I would just document what our morning looked like today, and then maybe send sweet ole Vaughn this blog, along with all of the comments people made on my facebook page regarding his ridiculous, totally clueless, comment.
4:45 a.m.: Drew wakes up and Mark goes in to try to get him back in bed.
5:15 a.m.: Drew has still not fallen back alseep so I go into his room to lay with him.
5:30 a.m.: Sleeping=failure...we go downstairs to start our morning.
5:50 a.m.: Zachary wakes up and Drew's whining begins.
6:03 a.m.: Drew is in his first time-out for the day.
6:05 a.m.: I jump in the shower and get ready for the day.
7:00 a.m.: Mark leaves for work (tear).
7:30 a.m.: Throw 3 boys in the bath and get them ready for the day.
8:15 a.m.: Feed Nate a bottle, the liner folds into the bottle, 8 oz. of milk spill all over me and Nate.
8:20 a.m.: Change Nate's outfit, make another bottle, feed him the bottle, put him down for a nap.
8:30 a.m.: I take another shower so I don't smell like spoiled milk all day.
8:40 a.m.: I finally sit down for a coffe and quick breakfast.
9:00 a.m.: Start packing a bag to take with us when we go and meet friends to play.
9:15 a.m.: Tell the older boys to go to the bathroom before we leave. I then have to break up a fight between the two about who gets to wash their hands first.
9:20 a.m.: Wake Nate up from morning nap, get his shoes, socks, and coat on...load everyone in the car...plus our little neighbor that was going to the play place with us.
10:00 a.m.-11:45 a.m.: Have a fantastic time with friends while our children run around and play together. Still have my eyes on four children though, so the stress level remains somewhat high.
11:50 a.m.: Finally had all of the kids laoded and buckled into their carseats and drive through Wendy's for lunch. As I am driving away we discover that Wendy's messed up our order...unable to turn around and correct their mistake.
(Spend the drive to our home listening to two of the children in my car scream hysterically: one because he is exhausted and thirsty, the other because he can't stand listening to his brother cry-it's awesome.)
12:10 p.m.: Drive through McDonalds for drinks for the kids, and something else for the boys to eat, since they didn't eat their food from Wendy's.
12:30 p.m.: I drop Zachary off at school.
12:35 p.m.: I drop David off at home.
12:40 p.m.: Brought Nate and Drew into the house and started prepping them for nap. I put a diaper on Drew, which I discovered wasn't on tightly enough when he peed all over himself, and the floor, right before nap. At the exact moment that I was changing Drew again, Nate decided to dump an entire bowl full of Cali's water onto the floor...and then slip and fall into it...outift change #3 for the day.
12:50 p.m.: The boys are finally in bed.
1:00 p.m.: Drew hollers down that he needs to poop. I run upstairs, wipe him, help him get dressed again, put him down again, and finally land on the couch at 1:04 p.m.
I will sit for a little longer before I have to load the kids back into the car, drive and get Zachary at school, and then take a meal over to a friend who just had a baby.
But yes Vaughn, I do a crazy amount of sitting during the day, and I read People, and eat chocolate, oh...and don't forget the mani's and pedi's that I am known for doing weekly (if you know me and my ugly nails at all, you know that's a lie).
This man, bless him, has no clue. And the reality is, a lot of people don't...and that's ok. I just hope Vaughn doesn't say anything like this to his wife one day if they choose to have children.
My Rear End is Falling Asleep from Sitting Too Much,
The Joyful and Tired Mom
But honestly, I can understand why a 6 year old may have no concept of what his parent actually does during the day and would question her. It was totally innocent. Very sweet. Hysterical to most parents. And it endeared me even more to my nephew.
I can understand a child not having any concept what his parents do; but it is baffling to me how an adult can have NO CLUE what a day in the life of a parent consists of...I mean, no clue.
Yesterday I met with a trainer for the very first time. He was, and is, great! But in our initial meeting he was trying to guage what my life looks on a daily basis and he says to me, "So you're a stay at home mom? You probably sit most of the day." Hahahahahahaha. Yes. Yes. I sit 90% of the time; the other 10% I spend standing in front of my refrigerator.
The thing is, I would never expect someone that hasn't spent a lot of time with young children to understand what a day looks like and how it unfolds minute to minute. So as I was going through my morning I thought that I would just document what our morning looked like today, and then maybe send sweet ole Vaughn this blog, along with all of the comments people made on my facebook page regarding his ridiculous, totally clueless, comment.
4:45 a.m.: Drew wakes up and Mark goes in to try to get him back in bed.
5:15 a.m.: Drew has still not fallen back alseep so I go into his room to lay with him.
5:30 a.m.: Sleeping=failure...we go downstairs to start our morning.
5:50 a.m.: Zachary wakes up and Drew's whining begins.
6:03 a.m.: Drew is in his first time-out for the day.
6:05 a.m.: I jump in the shower and get ready for the day.
7:00 a.m.: Mark leaves for work (tear).
7:30 a.m.: Throw 3 boys in the bath and get them ready for the day.
8:15 a.m.: Feed Nate a bottle, the liner folds into the bottle, 8 oz. of milk spill all over me and Nate.
8:20 a.m.: Change Nate's outfit, make another bottle, feed him the bottle, put him down for a nap.
8:30 a.m.: I take another shower so I don't smell like spoiled milk all day.
8:40 a.m.: I finally sit down for a coffe and quick breakfast.
9:00 a.m.: Start packing a bag to take with us when we go and meet friends to play.
9:15 a.m.: Tell the older boys to go to the bathroom before we leave. I then have to break up a fight between the two about who gets to wash their hands first.
9:20 a.m.: Wake Nate up from morning nap, get his shoes, socks, and coat on...load everyone in the car...plus our little neighbor that was going to the play place with us.
10:00 a.m.-11:45 a.m.: Have a fantastic time with friends while our children run around and play together. Still have my eyes on four children though, so the stress level remains somewhat high.
11:50 a.m.: Finally had all of the kids laoded and buckled into their carseats and drive through Wendy's for lunch. As I am driving away we discover that Wendy's messed up our order...unable to turn around and correct their mistake.
(Spend the drive to our home listening to two of the children in my car scream hysterically: one because he is exhausted and thirsty, the other because he can't stand listening to his brother cry-it's awesome.)
12:10 p.m.: Drive through McDonalds for drinks for the kids, and something else for the boys to eat, since they didn't eat their food from Wendy's.
12:30 p.m.: I drop Zachary off at school.
12:35 p.m.: I drop David off at home.
12:40 p.m.: Brought Nate and Drew into the house and started prepping them for nap. I put a diaper on Drew, which I discovered wasn't on tightly enough when he peed all over himself, and the floor, right before nap. At the exact moment that I was changing Drew again, Nate decided to dump an entire bowl full of Cali's water onto the floor...and then slip and fall into it...outift change #3 for the day.
12:50 p.m.: The boys are finally in bed.
1:00 p.m.: Drew hollers down that he needs to poop. I run upstairs, wipe him, help him get dressed again, put him down again, and finally land on the couch at 1:04 p.m.
I will sit for a little longer before I have to load the kids back into the car, drive and get Zachary at school, and then take a meal over to a friend who just had a baby.
But yes Vaughn, I do a crazy amount of sitting during the day, and I read People, and eat chocolate, oh...and don't forget the mani's and pedi's that I am known for doing weekly (if you know me and my ugly nails at all, you know that's a lie).
This man, bless him, has no clue. And the reality is, a lot of people don't...and that's ok. I just hope Vaughn doesn't say anything like this to his wife one day if they choose to have children.
My Rear End is Falling Asleep from Sitting Too Much,
The Joyful and Tired Mom
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
I Surrender
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!! There, I did it...I virtually screamed. Believe it or not, it unfortunately does NOT have the same effect as doing it in real life. I thought it would take the edge off though, and unfortunately, it didn't do that either. And oh yes, please don't confuse that scream as some sort of a William Wallace, "They may take our lives, but they will never take...our freedom!" victory battle cry. Nope. It's more of a scream of surrender that closely resembles sobbing. You know the type, where if you had a white flag you would wave it in the air and submissively hand it to your 3 year old because he is the victorious one.
Man, my kids hate me today. They really hate me.
Zachary has been an angel actually. But a very very very talkative angel. One that could actually make your ears bleed if he doesn't stop. Kidding about the bleeding ears, but seriously, the sweet sound of the humming garbage truck outside is soothing to me today because it isn't talking to me.
Nate may not hate me so much as he has been hating life. Or rather, life in a stroller or car seat. We used to call him "puppy" or "koala" because of the sweet way he used to crawl all around us or cling to us whenever we picked him up. His new nickname is "screech owl" and it isn't a cute name, and he didn't earn it by being cute either. Oh my gosh, the child screams so loudly all the freaking time! By 9:30 a.m. I started planning what kind of wine I was going to buy at the store tonight to drink when Mark gets home because I just want a little something to help take the edge off...and an excuse to not respond to every scream, "Sorry Mark, can you help Nate? Yeah, I got me some wine." Then I'll go upstairs and take a bath in the kids tiny tub (because ours needs cleaned after giving Cali a bath in it) and lay my hair against the toy basket that smells like mildew...ahhh...relaxation.
Another reason I desperately want to enjoy a tiny glass of wine in the quiet is because Drew, sweet, wonderful, fiesty Drew hates me. LOATHES ME! There is not one thing that I have said today that he hasn't argued...and I do mean "nothing." He has fought me on everything and I am so beyond exhausted from making everything a choice for him so I can get my desired result, but have him feel as though he is in control. It's mentally exhausting. And it's physically exhausting to have to still drag him to and from the car while carrying a sreeching one year old, because he won't do as I have suggested/told him to do.
No one ever mentioned that parenthood was this hard. When people say it's hard you can never grasp the truthfulness of that statement until you have kids...or until you have one like Drew. I love him, but oh my gosh, he is wearing me down today. He wins!
Never Been more True with My Title,
The Joyful and Tired Mom
Man, my kids hate me today. They really hate me.
Zachary has been an angel actually. But a very very very talkative angel. One that could actually make your ears bleed if he doesn't stop. Kidding about the bleeding ears, but seriously, the sweet sound of the humming garbage truck outside is soothing to me today because it isn't talking to me.
Nate may not hate me so much as he has been hating life. Or rather, life in a stroller or car seat. We used to call him "puppy" or "koala" because of the sweet way he used to crawl all around us or cling to us whenever we picked him up. His new nickname is "screech owl" and it isn't a cute name, and he didn't earn it by being cute either. Oh my gosh, the child screams so loudly all the freaking time! By 9:30 a.m. I started planning what kind of wine I was going to buy at the store tonight to drink when Mark gets home because I just want a little something to help take the edge off...and an excuse to not respond to every scream, "Sorry Mark, can you help Nate? Yeah, I got me some wine." Then I'll go upstairs and take a bath in the kids tiny tub (because ours needs cleaned after giving Cali a bath in it) and lay my hair against the toy basket that smells like mildew...ahhh...relaxation.
Another reason I desperately want to enjoy a tiny glass of wine in the quiet is because Drew, sweet, wonderful, fiesty Drew hates me. LOATHES ME! There is not one thing that I have said today that he hasn't argued...and I do mean "nothing." He has fought me on everything and I am so beyond exhausted from making everything a choice for him so I can get my desired result, but have him feel as though he is in control. It's mentally exhausting. And it's physically exhausting to have to still drag him to and from the car while carrying a sreeching one year old, because he won't do as I have suggested/told him to do.
No one ever mentioned that parenthood was this hard. When people say it's hard you can never grasp the truthfulness of that statement until you have kids...or until you have one like Drew. I love him, but oh my gosh, he is wearing me down today. He wins!
Never Been more True with My Title,
The Joyful and Tired Mom
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Drew's First Date
I just wanted to share these pictures with family and friends. To celebrate Drew's birthday, and our sweet little neighbor Lydia's birthday, Pam (Lydia's mom) and I took them to see "Tangled" yesterday. Drew adores Lydia, and I am confident the feeling is mutual from her end as well. They are so adorable together! Anyway, we took them to the movie. Drew sat next to Lydia. And in the middle of the movie he put the moves on her and tried to give her a kiss on the lips, but awkwardly missed, and landed a big one on her cheek. The innocence was so perfect, and so is their little friendship. I am just hoping that this can be the start of a wonderful tradition-even when Lydia is 16 and Drew is 10.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Oh Girls, I love you!
Have you ever loved someone so much that it physically gave you joyful pangs in your heart everytime you thought of them and the relationship you share? Loved someone so much you are willing to do ANYTHING for them...even what may seem impossible to others, you make it happen?
Have you ever been loved like that by someone?
I have been so blessed in my lifetime to love people in this way, and be loved like this as well.
And as I was organizing my kitchen today I came across something I have kept for 8 years from three of my former Young Life girls. They, in their thoughtfulness, selflessness, bravery, (and I say with a humble heart)their love for me, did the impossible.
Here is one of the letters I received from them on my 23rd birthday when I came home from a date with Mark.
"Dearest Lindsey,
For your birthday we wanted to do something special for you. When we were thinking of ideas we decided to tackle the impossible. To do what no other man has done before. Clean your car. This was quite an adventure. We encountered many unidentifiable objects and learned a lot about you we didn't know! We decided to put together a list of things that we discovered while fishing through the piles of stuff in your car.
19 water bottles
11 coat hangers
10 school books
18 cd's
2 bags of beef jerky
2 sets of headphones
1 parking pass that you "never got"
1 toothbrush and toothpaste tube
1 razor
21 articles of clothing
2 very used brushes
16 LAX balls
8 pairs of shoes
1 blovkbuster movie-a month over-due
Plenty of spare change to pay for the blockbuster movie
1 banana peel that we guess to be around 2 years old
4 pairs of sunglasses
10 lollipop sticks
As you can see this was an interesting experience. However, for you we would gladly do anything! Happy Birthday!!!!
Love, Claire, Jackie, and Chelsea"
Thankfully, I am not this messy anymore. SERIOUSLY!!!!! But more than that I am so thankful that each of these amazing friends are still in my life. I can't believe after you cleaned my car you still loved me, and you continue to love me still. And I love each of you as well with a heart that explodes with joy and gratitude when I think of you.
To all my Thomas girls, I love you!
Still Semi-messy,
The Joyfulful and Tired Mom
Have you ever been loved like that by someone?
I have been so blessed in my lifetime to love people in this way, and be loved like this as well.
And as I was organizing my kitchen today I came across something I have kept for 8 years from three of my former Young Life girls. They, in their thoughtfulness, selflessness, bravery, (and I say with a humble heart)their love for me, did the impossible.
Here is one of the letters I received from them on my 23rd birthday when I came home from a date with Mark.
"Dearest Lindsey,
For your birthday we wanted to do something special for you. When we were thinking of ideas we decided to tackle the impossible. To do what no other man has done before. Clean your car. This was quite an adventure. We encountered many unidentifiable objects and learned a lot about you we didn't know! We decided to put together a list of things that we discovered while fishing through the piles of stuff in your car.
19 water bottles
11 coat hangers
10 school books
18 cd's
2 bags of beef jerky
2 sets of headphones
1 parking pass that you "never got"
1 toothbrush and toothpaste tube
1 razor
21 articles of clothing
2 very used brushes
16 LAX balls
8 pairs of shoes
1 blovkbuster movie-a month over-due
Plenty of spare change to pay for the blockbuster movie
1 banana peel that we guess to be around 2 years old
4 pairs of sunglasses
10 lollipop sticks
As you can see this was an interesting experience. However, for you we would gladly do anything! Happy Birthday!!!!
Love, Claire, Jackie, and Chelsea"
Thankfully, I am not this messy anymore. SERIOUSLY!!!!! But more than that I am so thankful that each of these amazing friends are still in my life. I can't believe after you cleaned my car you still loved me, and you continue to love me still. And I love each of you as well with a heart that explodes with joy and gratitude when I think of you.
To all my Thomas girls, I love you!
Still Semi-messy,
The Joyfulful and Tired Mom
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