Macro Monday

There is no such thing as taking too much time, because your soul is in that picture.
- Ruth Bernhard

I'm glad that God takes this approach with me. He has all the time in the world, and is totally invested in what I'm going to become. He isn't rushing, isn't pushing, just waiting and leading. He can already see the finished product, too. Knowing that He loves me, and He's seen the me now and completed...amazing.

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. - Philippians 1:6

Check out more macro shots at Lisa's Chaos

Don't I get one phone call?

I am not much of a phone person. I can text like nobody's business, on the treadmill, during labor, in my sleep, etc...but I've never really been one to sit and chat on the telephone. Don't get me wrong, there are friends that I love talking to, and don't get to talk to enough (on the phone or in person), but I'm really bad about phone calls.

I think my issue with this has definitely been made worse by my children. When I do finally find the time to call someone I have been missing and want to chat with, they respond with screaming, crying, fighting, stunt-diving, madness. So usually, I just wait to call friends until Billy is home and can corral them for a minute. It also doesn't help that we live out in the woods, and have to go outside on the porch to make a call on our cell phones. (We haven't had a house phone ever...cuz that's more money we can spend on CFA. Kidding. Sort of.)

So alot of times I will wait till nap time, and creep out on the porch where I can listen for would-be nap time avoiders, and attempt to call some type of adult who can have a conversation that doesn't involve "more chockit meeelk!" This is what I was doing the other day when this happened. Oh he was really quiet. He managed to get this done even though I was constantly sticking my head in the door to listen for signs of a jail break.

He managed to nearly silently get out of his room, help himself to a snack, sip a little of my coffee, and trash his bedroom. Needless to say, naptime will be under much tighter security from now on. So if I don't answer your phone calls...please refer to this post. This is most likely what I'm doing. I'll call you when second shift comes in.

Who needs pets?

We used to have pets...cats actually, and then we moved into a house that doesn't allow animals, We are kind of sneaking under that rule though, if you ask me. Because there are some pretty wild animals up in here.

I do miss him, but I realize that my kids do everything the cat used to do, and more. He used to scratch me and bite me...the kids make sure that I don't do a day without some sort of injury. (usually accidental, but ya know...) He also used to make giant messes with the litter box. The kids make sure that I don't have a chance to miss changing a litter box, and use as many diapers/take as many bathroom breaks as possible. The messier the better.

The cat also used to stomp on me while I was trying to sleep...so much so that we nicknamed him "the night stomper". My kids fill that void by waking up in the middle of the night, waking at the crack of dawn, and making sure to scream loudly when they do the waking up.

The cat was also pretty demanding about wanting a share of whatever I was eating, especially ice cream. He used to sit beside me and wait till I was done so he could lick the bowl. My kids? They don't even wait until I finish to help me with my food. Sometimes they are sweet enough to even take it from me before I eat it.

They are so thoughtful. I don't know where I would be without them to make sure I don't miss having a cat around. ;)

The Man Behind the Kids.

I am always blogging about my kids, and the crazy things they've been up to. So today I just wanted to take a minute and blog about the man behind the kids. Or the man who caused the kids, whatever. ;) He's awesome...even if he does like the Redskins and always leaves his shirts hanging on the bedposts.

He changes poop diapers, washes laundry on his days off, works 2 jobs, goes to get me slushies from Sheetz at all hours of the night, and is an expert at playing with my hair. No, you can't have him. And yes, I'm so grateful for him. Ok, enough mushy stuff...they kids are currently trying to escape out the front door like convicts. Duty calls. ;)

Check out more shots at Perceptive Perspectives

Wrasslin

There are lots of bedtime rituals when you have kids. I think a lot of people attempt to calm their children down before putting them to bed. But we don't usually do things like normal people. My husband has another approach to bedtime.

He likes to wind our kids up before putting them in bed, particularly by wrestling. Merrick loves it, and Tirzah tries her best to join in. And for some odd reason, they both sleep great. Maybe the "wear 'em out" philosophy he holds to actually works.

Merrick actually asks "daddy, I crash you?" when Billy is home at night. "Crash" being his 2yo term for wrestling. It reminds me of the line from Nacho Libre...."They are just ninos trying to release their wiggles." And give their mother a heart attack. I'm not opposed to wrestling, just the wound up children part.

I'm glad that they have a daddy who is very involved in their lives. He doesn't always do things the way I would...(you should see what is going on when I get back from the gym in the mornings...our last name should be Barnum) but I think that's a good thing. Makes me realize that my way isn't always the best way. Even when it comes to bedtime habits.

I guess the family that growls together gets a good nights' sleep together...?

Check out more shots at Mamarazzi Monday and fatmumslim