Life Skills

I guess when you think about habits of young children, especially boys, spitballs may be a required skill. Good thing I have my sister, and one of the students at church, to impart this wisdom upon Merrick at the ripe old age of 2. This video was sent to me while Billy and I were having a lunch meeting about an upcoming student event at our church:

I could do without the spitballs, but am glad that they at least kept him at the table...which seems to be a difficult task for any babysitter, or his mother. :)

Twinkle Toes

We've been cooped up the last few days cuz of the an over abundance of snot and sneezing. I was starting to feel sorry for myself and getting some cabin fever, when Tirzah and I had a little impromptu photo shoot. How could I be upset about spending a few days with such a kissable joyful face? As usual...I have a lot to learn from my hooligans. Like being joyful no matter what...
Thanks guys. ;)

Promises, Promises...

Right now in the January-ness, it seems pretty much like I'm going to be freezing for the rest of my life. No greenery outside, fuzzy socks and baggy sweats inside, cooped up hooligans, and sunshine-deprived me. It always seems this way in the middle of winter, but Spring does always come...finally.

Kind of like when I was waiting on little Miss Tirzah to show up last summer. I knew she had to come out, eventually...I mean I hoped she would come out on her own. Sure enough, she did. I barely got to the hospital in time, actually. She was born pretty much immediately after I jumped into one of those terribly flattering hospital gowns.

As much as I'm sure of things like Spring coming around again, the winter ending, the sun coming up again, my little girl finally making her appearance, and Merrick continuing to make me scream and laugh countless times in the same day, who am I kidding...the same 5 minutes, I'm sure that these things are totally out of my control.

That might be scary...if I had no idea Who was actually in control of these things. Thank goodness Someone has Merrick and Tirzah in their hands...because I definitely need some help. They're ruthless. ;)

But, in this bleakness of the winter, when I feel like hibernating...I have the promise of Spring. Not just the bird-chirping, flower-blooming kind...but the promise that even in the winter, the rough seasons of my life, I know that something much better is yet to come. This life I've been given is rich with blessings, and I love it...and it's because I have the One Who controls the seasons and can tame the hooligans making some pretty sweet promises.

So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
- Isaiah 41:10 -

This week at You Capture the theme was Color...check out their site for some great shots!

Detox...Sort of.

Recently I have, for some reason or another, been hearing a lot about "detox" diets, and how its good for you every once in awhile to get your system all squeaky clean. My husband has been known to fast once in awhile, but I've never been able to skip more than one meal. And those meals have not been skipped in a very graceful and ladylike manner. People run when I haven't eaten. As they well should. I should have some kind of "I haven't eaten in more than 3 hours" disclaimer attached.

So when I read on someone somewhere's blog, I really can't remember who it was, about doing a 3 day detox...I thought I could handle that. It only required one day of a water fast, and two following days of water and fruit, or water and vegetables. I like fruit. I like vegetables. I hate water...but I think I can handle this. I decided, in a moment of pure insanity, that I needed to kick my caffeine habit soundly to the curb once and for all. Maybe I'd learn to like plain old flavorless clear water in the process. You can tell how fond I am of water. No really...I've been known to not drink anything, instead of drinking non-flavored water. Pathetic I know. I am the family health freak in most cases, running daily and avoiding the bacon that my hubby constantly consumes...but for some reason, I can't gag down a glass of water.

So Monday morning was go time. I started off going strong. I usually don't have a lot to eat or drink in the early morning anyway...since I usually like to run better without a full stomach. Even after lunch time had come and gone, and I'd fixed Merrick and Tirzah breakfast and lunch...Merrick's PB&J was looking really good...I was still ok.

The afternoon wore on. The kids woke up from their naps, and acted like 2 people who still needed naps. By this time it was about 4 pm. They were screaming, climbing, crying, whining, laughing and talking, eating...they were just constantly eating. Yummy stuff like pureed green beans and rice cereal. Kidding, that stuff is nasty, but I knew detox was looking like a big fail when that thought crossed my mind. The kids had no mercy, and I decided that man cannot live on whining alone...and finally gave in. I made a roast beef and cheese sandwich and pretty much ate it in one bite and .5 seconds. Since it was all I could think about since about 2 pm. Why roast beef and cheese I have no idea.

I felt kinda pathetic after I gave in, but at the same time my kids were suddenly not quite so annoying. I have officially decided that going without food is probably not the best route for a mother of 2 very small hooligans. I need to conserve my strength. ;) I am still trying to drink more water, and haven't even had a diet Dr. Pepper yet today, which is a miracle all by itself. I have also discovered I don't actually gag if I put about a 1/4 of a lime in the bottom of my cup of water. So I guess detox wasn't a complete fail. Maybe one day down the road I'll give it another try...like when the kids are older and not eating those tasty pureed green beans. ;)

In the Rough

This week at i ♥ faces the theme was texture. When I think about texture, the first thing that comes to mind is something rough or coarse. Something that you can really feel and maybe even rubs you the wrong way. It seems like everyday my life is filled with different textures. Bad things, things like fussy kids or failing at things I want to do well at...and good things, like good quality time with my family, a sunny day, or knowing that Scripture verse was meant just for you.

There are so many new and interesting things I'm learning, so much about the wife and mother and woman I want and need to be. There is so much about me that needs to be smoothed out, humbled, or maybe even roughed up a little. I don't want to get to a stopping point where I don't want to get any better, or don't think I need to get any better. I want to keep improving, changing, having my eyes opened, stretching and growing...in every aspect, from marriage and motherhood to photography. No one likes being uncomfortable. But when I look at it through the promise that I'll come out better on the other side, I'll take the texture, even if it may be a little rough.

-- Isaiah 26:3-4 --

Check out i ♥ faces for more great blogs and photos!

Fashionably Late

I used to always pride myself on being on time. I think I was set on being on time everywhere I went because I was unconsciously rebelling against my always late family. Not kidding, they almost made me late to my own wedding. I thought that kind of thing only happens in movies.

But I wasn't almost late because of me...I was waiting on my mom to finish getting her hair done. *Granted this time she wasn't totally to blame...I don't think the lady doing her hair understood I was getting married in like an hour and was still wearing jeans. :)*

Now that I'm all old, grown up, responsible and everything *wink, wink* I am now the one who seems to have trouble being on time. I promise you, though, it really doesn't have anything to do with taking to long to do my hair, or applying gobs of make-up, which really isn't my thing, or trying on 100 different pairs of shoes...because really I only have like 10 pairs of shoes and I think half are flip-flops. ;)

Now it's not my mom making me miss appointments, it's my furniture climbing firstborn. It seems like I can't get out of the house, because it takes me days to get ready to go anywhere. I'm constantly being interrupted by things crashing or having to retrieve him from various pieces of furniture that have Emergency Room potential. Sometimes I'm really not sure how he got to the places he's gotten to. I've decided that I either need to get ready completely, trip to the gym and all, before Billy leaves the house in the morning, or just stay home...
...at least until Merrick is over climbing the furniture and finding new ways to get out the front door. When can I expect that to happen? Oh right, when he leaves for college. ;)

Flowers and Chocolate

I know its that time of year...when everything in Wal-Mart is pink and red, or dipped in chocolate. Not that I'm complaining cuz chocolate is, in my opinion, a gift from God. I know people will cram the aisles of wally world, ring the phone off the hook at the florist, and get those dinner reservations made....or do a little time in the big house with Fido. ;)

I am just like any girl, and love getting flowers and chocolate for Valentine's day, or any day for that matter. I'm not picky about what day I get chocolate. Today would be fine. I may like to run, but I'm not the type of health freak who would turn down a piece of chocolate.

There is something that does make me feel loved, and in a much more real-and-every-day, seen ya without all your make-up, heard you throw your characteristic fit kind of way.

Around here, this is what "will you be my valentine?" looks like: Doing the dishes... ...fixing food for a hungry bunch of hooligans...

...working longs hours at a job that you really don't like all that much...

...and saying bedtime prayers.

There may be flowers and chocolate on Valentine's day around here, even though we don't have a dog, or a dog's house, you-know-who still does his best to avoid it. :) I'm pretty sure that even if he forgets the dozen roses, I'll forgive him and his dog-house reservation since I know he loves me enough to take that 6 am feeding. ;)



This week at You Capture the theme was Love at Your House. Check out the link for some great captures and blogs!

Riding in Vans with Kids

There really is nothing like it. Usually when I'm trapped in a vehicle with my children, it's for a very short period of time...like driving the one mile down the road to Food Lion, or the five miles to the gym. Or, heaven forbid, when I'm wanting to live life on the edge, the 20 minutes to the nearest Wal-Mart. I'm always taking my life into my own hands when I attempt that trip.

I mean, chances are one of the kids will be fine on any given car trip...but the chance that both kids will just sit back and enjoy the ride? You guessed it. Nope.
So recently when we traveled to Florida...I was in a panic thinking of all the screaming that I was going to endure. And already a bit embarrassed about what everyone else in my mom's 15 passenger was going to think. (Can't this lady control these kids? Actually, no. I can't. I do try...they just inherited mule-like stubbornness. Where from? No idea. Surely not me. Hopefully they won't also inherit my tendency to follow rabbit trails while writing.) Merrick is a free spirit, which means the car seat straps seem to be burning a hole in his limbs, to hear him tell it. Tirzah just doesn't like to go anywhere without being held...and car seats just don't count when it comes to holding.

The trip down was actually ok. We traveled through the night, and both kids slept almost the whole night through. Tirzah did the best of the two...even sleeping longer than she does at home. Merrick just woke up at 6:30 am and wanted everyone else in the van to be just as awake as he was. They were not of the same mindset. ;) The trip back was during the day. I call that day: the day the crying never ended. Tirzah was NOT a happy camper. She was awake, and no one was holding her...this is not acceptable. Merrick was also awake, and was strapped in to that abominable car seat...also not acceptable. I didn't realize it was possible to hear the words "Mommy gee out" so many times. *which is actually supposed to be: Mommy, get out.*

We were crammed in there like sardines, but we finally made it back home after the 12 hour trip. All kidding aside, I'm grateful that we had a safe trip there and back. I'm always grateful for safe travel...even if it isn't safe for my sanity. And I really don't mind hearing "mommy, gee out!" as long as we get where we're going. What I'm not going to be ready to hear is: "Mom, can I have the keys?" Thank goodness I've got a few more years of car seats...

My People

My mom always used to say to us your best friends are your family. Who am I kidding, she still says that. And I'm beginning to believe she's right. *Why, oh why, is Mom always right? I think the consolation in that is now, I'm "mom". So one day, hopefully, I'll be always right. ;)* In high school I was pretty sure that my best friends were anyone but my large family. The funny thing is, aside from a few close girlfriends, most of the time it seems that friends come and go with the seasons of your life. And my bff's? My family.

I hope as these two hooligans get older, after the "mom she's touching me!" and "hey that's mine!" phase is over, they'll be best friends, too. And I wouldn't mind a phone call now and then, ya know, or every day. ;)

Families are like fudge - mostly sweet with a few nuts. / Author Unknown

This week at I Heart Faces the theme was Family...check out their link for more great blogs and photos!

Princesses vs. Pirates

I've learned, in the last two years, that boys and girls are totally different. Yeah yeah, I know they are different, but what I mean is, after having one of each, I'm not of the mindset that boys like tractors and dirt because we tell them to, and girls are all about twirly skirts and glitter for the same reason. For the most part, they just are that way. I was your typical tomboy growing up...no doubt about it. But even with my skinned knees and dirty fingernails, and all my ditching my girl cousins and barbie dolls to play basketball with the guys, there was something about a skirt that did a good twirl that made me so happy. And try as I might to resist, I have given up my long battle to hate the color pink.

These feelings were just reinforced this past week I spent with my siblings. We spend a day at Downtown Disney...wandering in and out of stores and freezing our toes off. The girls all wandered into the Princess store, trying on silly crowns and oohing and ahhing over the Disney princesses...and the boys rolled their eyes.
Then the guys promptly wandered into the Pirates of the Caribbean section, and started beating each other with swords and light sabers...and the girls rolled their eyes. :)

Merrick and Tirzah are totally different, also. Merrick said tractor before he said Mommy. I definitely didn't teach him that...but I did cry about it. :) Tirzah loves to be stared at and sweet-talked, and will scream her head off if you don't use the right tone of voice with her...even as a six-month-old.

I know that they are both still young, and who knows what they will be interested in when they get older. Tirzah may play football, and Merrick might keep on dancing like he does now. :) But I'm learning, from the differences in the two of them, more about what they need from me individually. And this applies to other people in my life also. Take a second to get to know someone and what they need from you...you might have been put in their path for just that reason. As usual, my little hooligans teach me big lessons. I just hope that out of the two of them, someone will grow up to tolerate shopping trips with Mom. :)

Arctic Dip

I hate cold water. I'm such a cold water wimp that I can't tolerate cold showers, and think I would rather go around filthy than take one. If I take a cold shower, I get a chill all the way down to my bones and can't seem to get rid of it all day. I always tell people I don't have enough insulation for the cold, and maybe should consider hibernation.

This leads me to say, I have no idea why in the world my husband, sisters, brother, and sisters fiance would do what they did while we were in Florida. I barely braved getting in the hot tub at the resort, which was a roasty-toasty 104 degrees, let alone the 55 degree swimming pool.

That didn't stop them from taking an arctic dip, however. I use the excuse that someone needed to document their insanity, and be standing ready to take them to the hospital when they all got hypothermia. :) In this video, which is awful by the way, you can hear the loonies screaming and see them running back to the hot tub to warm up:

They did live to tell about it, and also to do it like 3 more times. I'll just stick to the hot tub, thanks. Someone has to be sane around here. ;)

Winter Break...

So far, this winter has been just about as crazy as one of our busy summers. So I was really looking forward to spending a week in what I thought would be sunny Florida. *Yes I do say that just a bit sarcastically ;)*

This past week of vacation was not full of the warm, sunny weather I was so hoping for. It was sunny, but without the warm. And I have come back looking just as much the pasty white girl as I left. But...with less dark circles under my eyes, and a little less sleep deprived. So...I guess that will have to do. The tan will have to wait until my kids are in college. ;)

But I did come back way more rested than I expected, and got a lesson in learning to take a second to sit still.

We did have a blast, however, even if the temperatures were playing a cruel trick on us. I do realize that the temperatures are lose-a-toe-to-frostbite cold all over the place right now, and I think I'm glad that I had to deal with 50 degrees instead of the 10 degrees that would have been waiting for me back at home.
Billy and I have been talking lately about how we need to carve out more time for just being...resting and enjoying our family and the time we have to be together. I think vacation in Florida, where we were pretty much forced to remain indoors because of the record-breaking cold temperatures, was a good way to get that started. I'm not sure we would have come back nearly so rested up if we had perfect weather we were all hoping for, and had crammed every free minute full of something to do.

As usual, I'm not always the best judge of what I need. But God is always good at gently reminding me that I have no idea what is best for me. The usual run-around-till-we're-crazy that has characterized this winter took a welcomed backseat to palm trees, family time, and naps on the couch. In this case, I'm glad the weather was sunny with a chance of frostbite...even in the sunshine state.

This week's You Capture them is Your Winter. Check out the link for great photos and blogs!

Mom's a Sucker

Each morning I wake up...not willingly, but most often to the sound of Merrick kicking the wall, or Tirzah squealing her -mom wake up now or this squeal won't be so nice- squeal, and quickly forgive my kids for committing the unpardonable sin of waking me up. Simply because I think they're so stinkin' cute. I usually keep such thoughts to myself, because I know that most people don't usually think other people's kids are but so cute, and I don't want my hooligans to know that mom can be manipulated by their good looks, because they would surely use that to their advantage. ;)

So in light of that...I just wanted to share this video of Tirzah, who is learning to use her walker, backwards. Just cuz I thought it was so cute...but don't rat me out to the kids. We'll be having chocolate for lunch in no time. ;)

Another Day in Paradise

Late yesterday we arrived back from vacation to our little house in the swamp that is now frozen over. And we thought it was cold in Florida!!! Its absolutely freezing here...and I am considering hibernation, since I'm not really built for tolerating this kind of weather. :)

We had a great time, though, and I'm trying to remember that restful vacation feeling I had as I have a stare-down with my yet-to-be-unpacked suitcase. Have I mentioned before that I hate unpacking? Even the groceries. I'd rather just leave them in the car and eat out of the trunk. Not really...but I really don't like unpacking. Thankfully all the clothes are clean...we had a washer at the house we rented, so I washed them before we left to eliminate what I see as double the unpacking.

We did bring more than packed suitcases back with us though. Like, finally feeling caught up on some much needed sleep, some new experiences (bocce ball, and arctic dips in the 55 degree resort pool), and lots of good memories with our hooligans (their first trip to Sea World...I considered leaving them for a few days to see if the trainers there would have any luck with a new breed of wild animals.) We all had a fun and refreshing week (...even though I'm still annoyed with the unpacking) and I have misplaced the dark circles under my eyes just to prove it. I think we are all glad to be back home.

This week at I Heart Faces the theme is *Best Face*. Check out their site for more great blogs and pictures!

Grapes of Wrath

Lately Merrick has been doing so much better with listening, in general, and not deliberately doing everything I say not to do. I think it's been throwing me off my guard. I'm losing my edge in the battle of the terrible twos. The other day Billy pointed out that all our wrapped gifts had conveniently had their bows removed. Hmmm. Wonder how that happened.

He has also started helping himself to thing in the fridge when I'm not looking. This is not allowed. Especially when it leads to not eating your lunch later. He's become quite the picky eater...today at lunch he refused to eat his PB&J, but begged my younger sister to give him a bite of the raw eggs she was stirring. I'm pretty sure salmonella is not on the list of things I want to do this coming New Year. Usually when he raids the fridge its for things like string cheese, that he can't unwrap himself. So he has to rat himself out, and bring it to me to get it unwrapped. As my mom always used to tell me...be sure your sins will find you out. ;) I guess that applies even if it is the sin of snatching string cheese.

As you can see...this morning he was in the mood for grapes. I'm just glad that he didn't decide to help himself to the gallon of milk.

It runs in the family...

There is this sign that hangs on the wall in my grandmother's house, right behind the kitchen table. It's been there as long as I can remember. It's one of those things, that just always has been, and is a part of a lot of my childhood memories. Not directly...but when I think about grandma's house, and her kitchen, I always remember that sign. It reads: "Insanity is hereditary. You can get it from your children." Under those words is a little drawing of a person, who probably looks a lot like me right now. ;) His glasses are crooked and his tongue is hanging out, and his eyes are pointing at weird directions in his head.

Anyone who has children has probably experienced one of those "eyes at weird angles, tongue hanging out" kind of moments. I guess I just always blamed my kids for that. But then...my sister so lovingly tagged this photo of me , and my not-so-little-anymore brother, on facebook the other day. I realized that maybe, just maybe, I was crazy before I had the kids. But even if I didn't get the insanity from my children, I'm pretty sure Merrick, who is in this next picture, got his taste in sunglasses from me. ;)