So, its Thursday and this week has been a bust. My bathrooms, my kitchen floor...all diiiirty. Like Miley Cyrus dirty. But I'm not cleaning them right now, because my sicky little 3 year old does not want me out of eye-sight and he's busy watching Sight Words on the couch. Day 3 of constant videos and ipad time because this fever will just NOT GO AWAY.
Instead, I will continue to go with the theme that this blog has slowly evolved into this year ( its interesting how I can't seem to share deep stuff in two places at once! Its currently all pouring into my book...so you get this stuff instead!) and share yet another of my favorite things with you....Incidentally, before we get started let me just say that I chatted with my mom a few weeks ago about how Mommy Blogs that review stuff have the tendency to head down this really awful road of becoming a written infomercial. Some pull this off better than others. A blog I use to really like I had to literally block from all forms of communication because it became so incredibly annoying with its "look what cool freebies I'm getting" and all her reviews even though she'd always tell you she was getting free stuff to review the product, were inevitably positive. Not ONE negative review? I doubt it.
Annnnyways, I know others who have found the happy medium of doing reviews for companies that send them free things and yet keeping a level of authenticity that I appreciate and I totally love that they have that opportunity and that I get to benefit from their thoughts on various products...However, I'm just too lazy and unmotivated to figure out how to get on this particular train. And therefore I will just continue to share the things that I love, give you links to those products and probably never really get much in return, except my favorite thing which is that all my friends get to share it the stuff I love! Just the way I like it!*
So, today, I'm going to share with you the secret to how my 3 year old knows his letters, letter sounds**, numbers to twenty, his shapes, his colors and about 15 or so sight words: Preschool Prep.
I promise it was not me being an awesome attentive, creative mom. Nope, it was me catching 5 more minutes of ZZs, feeding Tabitha or me blogging or...sometimes...me doing housework while Ransom watches twenty minutes of one of these videos.
I've now given these to many friends as gifts and I've yet to meet a kid who hasn't learned at least their letters from these uber-repeative, mindblowingly boring videos. See, these are not your pixar movies or your veggie tales, or even your sesame street, that has built in parent enjoyment. Nope. You will NOT enjoy these videos ( minus maybe the first time)....but your child will AND the repetition will be just enough and their enjoyment will be just enough that they will learn all sorts of good stuff! Win! Win!
* Except the awesome lady who sales those cool teething necklaces, did let me have some free necklaces for sharing my experience after the fact! So sweet!
** Just kidding, the phonics videos are my least favorite. Ransom did not like them for some reason, they were maybe too advanced because they tried to teach every variation all at once. So I liked Leap Frog: Letter Factory for that particular skill.
September 26, 2013
September 01, 2013
Second baby things
Lately a lot of Mommy friends out there have been asking me to recommend "second baby" items. You know, those things that you needed to purchase after already purchasing a million and one things for that FIRST baby....So, I've given it a ponder and here's what I've come up with....
Sanity....Gosh, I wish they sold THAT on Amazon Prime with free two day shipping because I'd be buying it in bulk. Subscribe and Save all the way. ( but seriously, do you know about Amazon Mom? It gets you free shipping on Prime items (that's pretty much everything if you look hard enough)...just the free shipping alone saves me TONS of money , you get Amazon Instant video where your first kid can watch episodes of Mister Rogers Neighborhood for hours *cough* I mean a few minutes!) plus all kinds of movies and other shows that you can watch while you're doing those middle of the night feedings , if you do choose to do Subscribe and Save on things like diapers and wipes, it'll get ya an EXTRA 20% off!! Friends. Jump on this band wagon if you haven't already! Its a yearly fee that, if you're honest...you make back in just a months worth of free shipping! Promise!
( And if you'd like to join, click on this link here and I'll get money back on my next order! And I'll love you forever...Amazon Mom
Ok, so other things that are "extras" that I've loved having around with the second baby:
I finally tossed my Baby Bjorn that I'd inherited from a friend with my first baby and I splurged on the Ergo. Honestly, I feel SO STUPID! Why had I been suffering with back and neck pain for years using that silly thing?!?! THIS ERGO IS HEAVEN!! It was worth every single cent, and considering I feel like I carry my second baby around in it even more than my first, I'm never looking back! Grocery shopping, house cleaning, chasing your other child in the park....its a breeze!
I'm not going to post a link to the Ergo, because you just need to start stalking the popular mommy sites like Zulily and Woot and you'll probably find a sale in under a week. I got mine for about 40% off in cherry red ( loooove).
So, of course, I got myself a double stroller too...because sometimes you don't just want to have your baby locked in place, but you want that fully mobile first kid properly stowed....Now, there are TONS of options when it comes to double strollers. I'll just let you know that whichever way you look at it, they are HUGE and really only worth it at the Zoo, at the park and when you're running/exercising...basically wide open spaces. So, this is why I went for a jogging stroller and just use my infant carrier and my umbrella stroller for other trips like to the Mall or the grocery store.
Now, for something that is purely frivolous but that I am really loving having around with baby #2:
I bought myself jewelry. But not just any jewelry. A teething necklace that *I* wear. So not only do I look stylish ( It goes so well with my yoga pants, nursing top and dirty hair look), BUT Tabitha loves slobbering ALL over this thing. I'm thinking it feels pretty awesome on her teeth! The score here is that it's one less toy for me to keep track of when we hit the road ( this is a MUST for any airplane travel!)...I just throw it on and I've got myself a toy for my tiny tot.
There are all sorts of these available, but can I just say, if you can order them from this ebay store. First of all, they were a great price, they had tons of color options AND on top of all that- I was stupid and had three of these shipped to my old address in Georgia ( NOOOOOOOOOO!!!)- I explained my stupidity to the seller and even explained that they were gifts and they shipped me new ones immediately- at no extra charge!! SO COOL! Seriously, I will be using her again and I may even buy myself another one ( the red is super cute).
Next, is something that I found at Wal-Mart. Well, to be more specific, I found the cheapest one of these at Wal-Mart, its the Carter's Child of Mine brand "Wet Bag"...that has a cute clothe outside and a plastic, water proof inside with a wonderful zipper to close it all up. For a lovely $5.99. Sadly you can only find them in stores but get thee over to your local Wal-Mart and pick up BOTH styles ( it comes it two different prints) because you're gonna want these babies. They are big enough for me to stick some diapers and wipes plus an extra onesie for Tabitha in one and then in the other one I stick a change of clothes for Ransom. This is easy on several levels. If your diaper bag is as giant as mine its SO much nicer to just pull out the little diaper bag when you need it OR lets say the glorious day occurs where your husband is nice enough to watch one of your darling children, you can just pull out the unneeded wet bag and leave it behind. Ahhhhh! A lighter diaper bag! I also have one that I use for Tabitha's baby food. Because its water proof its spill proof too! I can stick dirty spoons and empty baby food containers in there and when I come home I just throw it in the wash! No more wasting tons of ziplocs every time you go out! Here's what you're looking for:
Sanity....Gosh, I wish they sold THAT on Amazon Prime with free two day shipping because I'd be buying it in bulk. Subscribe and Save all the way. ( but seriously, do you know about Amazon Mom? It gets you free shipping on Prime items (that's pretty much everything if you look hard enough)...just the free shipping alone saves me TONS of money , you get Amazon Instant video where your first kid can watch episodes of Mister Rogers Neighborhood for hours *cough* I mean a few minutes!) plus all kinds of movies and other shows that you can watch while you're doing those middle of the night feedings , if you do choose to do Subscribe and Save on things like diapers and wipes, it'll get ya an EXTRA 20% off!! Friends. Jump on this band wagon if you haven't already! Its a yearly fee that, if you're honest...you make back in just a months worth of free shipping! Promise!
( And if you'd like to join, click on this link here and I'll get money back on my next order! And I'll love you forever...Amazon Mom
Ok, so other things that are "extras" that I've loved having around with the second baby:
I finally tossed my Baby Bjorn that I'd inherited from a friend with my first baby and I splurged on the Ergo. Honestly, I feel SO STUPID! Why had I been suffering with back and neck pain for years using that silly thing?!?! THIS ERGO IS HEAVEN!! It was worth every single cent, and considering I feel like I carry my second baby around in it even more than my first, I'm never looking back! Grocery shopping, house cleaning, chasing your other child in the park....its a breeze!
I'm not going to post a link to the Ergo, because you just need to start stalking the popular mommy sites like Zulily and Woot and you'll probably find a sale in under a week. I got mine for about 40% off in cherry red ( loooove).
So, of course, I got myself a double stroller too...because sometimes you don't just want to have your baby locked in place, but you want that fully mobile first kid properly stowed....Now, there are TONS of options when it comes to double strollers. I'll just let you know that whichever way you look at it, they are HUGE and really only worth it at the Zoo, at the park and when you're running/exercising...basically wide open spaces. So, this is why I went for a jogging stroller and just use my infant carrier and my umbrella stroller for other trips like to the Mall or the grocery store.
Now, for something that is purely frivolous but that I am really loving having around with baby #2:
I bought myself jewelry. But not just any jewelry. A teething necklace that *I* wear. So not only do I look stylish ( It goes so well with my yoga pants, nursing top and dirty hair look), BUT Tabitha loves slobbering ALL over this thing. I'm thinking it feels pretty awesome on her teeth! The score here is that it's one less toy for me to keep track of when we hit the road ( this is a MUST for any airplane travel!)...I just throw it on and I've got myself a toy for my tiny tot.
There are all sorts of these available, but can I just say, if you can order them from this ebay store. First of all, they were a great price, they had tons of color options AND on top of all that- I was stupid and had three of these shipped to my old address in Georgia ( NOOOOOOOOOO!!!)- I explained my stupidity to the seller and even explained that they were gifts and they shipped me new ones immediately- at no extra charge!! SO COOL! Seriously, I will be using her again and I may even buy myself another one ( the red is super cute).
Next, is something that I found at Wal-Mart. Well, to be more specific, I found the cheapest one of these at Wal-Mart, its the Carter's Child of Mine brand "Wet Bag"...that has a cute clothe outside and a plastic, water proof inside with a wonderful zipper to close it all up. For a lovely $5.99. Sadly you can only find them in stores but get thee over to your local Wal-Mart and pick up BOTH styles ( it comes it two different prints) because you're gonna want these babies. They are big enough for me to stick some diapers and wipes plus an extra onesie for Tabitha in one and then in the other one I stick a change of clothes for Ransom. This is easy on several levels. If your diaper bag is as giant as mine its SO much nicer to just pull out the little diaper bag when you need it OR lets say the glorious day occurs where your husband is nice enough to watch one of your darling children, you can just pull out the unneeded wet bag and leave it behind. Ahhhhh! A lighter diaper bag! I also have one that I use for Tabitha's baby food. Because its water proof its spill proof too! I can stick dirty spoons and empty baby food containers in there and when I come home I just throw it in the wash! No more wasting tons of ziplocs every time you go out! Here's what you're looking for:
So what about you? Whether you're a first time mom or a 5th time mom...or just like buying awesome presents...what's your favorite baby "make life easier" supplies?
August 30, 2013
Children's Books: Favorite Books ( 2-3 yr olds)
So, here we are moving into the next age of books. Pretty soon Ransom will be up for CHAPTER BOOKS! And I'm soooo excited!!! But until then we'll work our way up to that by giving you some of the books that Ransom is currently loving. When a child's attention span/ability to comprehend more info starts expanding so does the wonderful world of books....Friends its only going to get better... Once again I'm dividing this age into two parts. "Favorite Authors" and "Favorite Books"....with the authors, obviously you've got a whole BUNCH of books at your disposal and that's pretty awesome for library trips when you can just head to the author's letter and start picking up books ( Post coming soon)....but then there are those wonderful little delights that I will share with you here, that could quite possibly get lost in the mix:
First comes a book that was given to me at a baby shower for Ransom. ( Thanks McClure Family!!) And a few months ago Ransom seemed to discover it for the first time, and surprisingly its one of Brett's favorite books to read to Ransom. Well, really NOT surprisingly because it really is wonderful! It's got good lyrical writing ( important for reading out loud), beautiful drawings and a really sweet moral at the end. This book is perfect for both boys and girls and seriously...its a diamond in the rough. Go get this book immediately.
This next book makes me extra happy because we're currently reading it to Ransom from my torn and tattered paperback copy from when I was a little girl! I have many happy memories of my Mama reading this book out loud to me, and I even find myself reading it exactly the same way that she read it...getting slower and quieter and LOUDER and FASTER in the appropriate parts. This book is FULL of repetition which can be hard for us adults, but boy do those little tots love it!But I say if you're going to have repetition at least have it be with animal noises....
This next book was given to us by the wonderful Tabitha the Elder or as Ransom randomly said today on the way to the grocery store ( where's Bigger Tabitha right now?!) haha! Anyway, Tabitha discovered this book a year or so ago and gifted it to us, and then low and beyond it started to win all sorts of well deserved awards! Yay! I love it when good books get the glory they so deserve! If anything I hope it means that more people will discover them. However, if you aren't one of the people who have already discovered"A Sick Day for Amos McGee" then rectify it immediately! This book not only has a beautifully sweet story about a Zoo Keeper and his animal friends, but the pictures are GORGEOUS. On each page you really HAVE to look for the little mouse who often shows up...
So this next book was also a gift. Ransom got this wonderful book for Christmas this last year and it has fed nicely into one of his favorite things. Construction vehicles. In fact, that's what his teacher wrote on first week of Preschool report "Really likes Construction trucks."...hahaha! Ummmm yes. We know. Anyway, this book is my FAVORITE of the construction trucks books ( some of them are SO BORING)....the pictures are cute and the wonderful rhyming text is all about each construction vehicle getting ready for bed. Pretty much perfect. I'm not so sure girls would dig it (ha!) as much, but if you've got a little boy in your life....this book is wonderful.
First comes a book that was given to me at a baby shower for Ransom. ( Thanks McClure Family!!) And a few months ago Ransom seemed to discover it for the first time, and surprisingly its one of Brett's favorite books to read to Ransom. Well, really NOT surprisingly because it really is wonderful! It's got good lyrical writing ( important for reading out loud), beautiful drawings and a really sweet moral at the end. This book is perfect for both boys and girls and seriously...its a diamond in the rough. Go get this book immediately.
This next book makes me extra happy because we're currently reading it to Ransom from my torn and tattered paperback copy from when I was a little girl! I have many happy memories of my Mama reading this book out loud to me, and I even find myself reading it exactly the same way that she read it...getting slower and quieter and LOUDER and FASTER in the appropriate parts. This book is FULL of repetition which can be hard for us adults, but boy do those little tots love it!But I say if you're going to have repetition at least have it be with animal noises....
This next book was given to us by the wonderful Tabitha the Elder or as Ransom randomly said today on the way to the grocery store ( where's Bigger Tabitha right now?!) haha! Anyway, Tabitha discovered this book a year or so ago and gifted it to us, and then low and beyond it started to win all sorts of well deserved awards! Yay! I love it when good books get the glory they so deserve! If anything I hope it means that more people will discover them. However, if you aren't one of the people who have already discovered"A Sick Day for Amos McGee" then rectify it immediately! This book not only has a beautifully sweet story about a Zoo Keeper and his animal friends, but the pictures are GORGEOUS. On each page you really HAVE to look for the little mouse who often shows up...
So this next book was also a gift. Ransom got this wonderful book for Christmas this last year and it has fed nicely into one of his favorite things. Construction vehicles. In fact, that's what his teacher wrote on first week of Preschool report "Really likes Construction trucks."...hahaha! Ummmm yes. We know. Anyway, this book is my FAVORITE of the construction trucks books ( some of them are SO BORING)....the pictures are cute and the wonderful rhyming text is all about each construction vehicle getting ready for bed. Pretty much perfect. I'm not so sure girls would dig it (ha!) as much, but if you've got a little boy in your life....this book is wonderful.
Now this last one was truly a surprise. Ransom got to pick out a free book at the library for completing their summer reading program. ( UMMMM....seriously having 15 books read out loud all summer?!?! We did it in two days. Come on people! Step up the game!) Anyway. So I didn't have very high expectation for this book because Ransom just randomly grabbed it off the "Pick a book" shelf of prizes. But we went home and read it and it was fantastic! The pictures are fun, but the story is hilarious! This is one of those "two teared" books....one level is for the parents the other is for the kids. So Ransom and I BOTH end up enjoying this book! Bonus is that Ransom is also really into pretending he's a doctor too so that has added a new level of authenticity to his playing. But, whatever your kid is into...if you'd like to encourage their "imaginative play" and also get a good laugh yourself....get this book..... OH MY GOODNESS! When I went to look this book up on Amazon come to find out it IS a series! FANTASTIC! So, I guess it should technically go in my Favorite Authors post, but to remain true to myself I'll keep it here....but you better believe we'll be checking out the other Ted books at the library soon!
So, on that note....I'll hopefully share some MORE of my favorite books or ages 2-3 in another post coming soon, because believe me it is SO HARD to narrow down which ones I'm going to talk about. Sigh. Hard problems.
So, on that note....I'll hopefully share some MORE of my favorite books or ages 2-3 in another post coming soon, because believe me it is SO HARD to narrow down which ones I'm going to talk about. Sigh. Hard problems.
August 24, 2013
Children's Books: Books that I love (1 year olds)-golden book love
I feel like in a lot of ways the books that Ransom liked when he was one were a mixture of his board books and then many that we had to "alter" as in, paraphrase the story to fit his attention, these books he now loves as a two year old and will sit through every word. ( Point being, don't let a book being a little bit over your child's head stop you from reading it to them!! ) However, there were definitely some books that I will soundly fit into the "one year old little boys love them" category...and here are a few that I love too. ( because you KNOW there are some that Ransom loves that I hate. Whhhhhy do some books have to be so boring?!?! And whhhhhy do children still love them!? )
The Happy Man and His Dump Truck
I have this book memorized. It is why we had a "fire engine" themed second birthday. But its also an easy and painless book for Mommies and Daddies too. Points for Golden Books!
And while we're on the subject...
This book has a certain "rhythm" in its writing that is not quite rhyme but does add just enough interest to the little listening ear. Ransom really liked it and still does. Bonus, I kind of dig the 1960s vibe. And to be royally sexist, apparently there is a Nurse Nancy book out there that I refuse to purchase ( You'd be proud Amy King).
Another one of my favorite Golden Books has to be:
The Happy Man and His Dump Truck
This is a gorgeously happy book ( see title) and it includes tons of things that make it a winner: repetition, animal sounds, and if you're a little boy...dump trunks. I really love this book. So does Ransom.
August 22, 2013
Stones
You know what's hard? Blogging. Or should I say writing a post on your blog when you're also trying to write a book and single-parent your two children under 3 while their Daddy is off doing "special work" ( as we so aptly named it so that Ransom could distinguish it from his usual every-day work). At the end of the day I'd have such big plans but lets be honest no matter what my plans were, I'd crawl into bed with some chocolate and watch episodes of Suits instead. Day after day.
That being said, the Hubs is officially home and in the 3 days he's been home I've taken a nap (!) and gotten on Pinterest (!!) twice ( incidentally I found this sinful desert called Hot Fudge Pie...and it was amazing) which means that I'm back within my capacity and I have a few brain cells left to function at the level that I need to write this post. So here we are.
Let's back track to the part where I said I was writing a book ( its up at the top in case you missed it). Yup. I'm admitting it. It's embarrassing really because if you go to a bookstore lately its crazy what gets published (twilight?! really?!) and then I think about all the stuff that doesn't get published and I've got to be real with myself and admit that what I'm writing will probably not see the light of day and so up till now was just calling it a "story"...and it is. It is our story. But now that I've gotten several chapters in I feel like its only fair to call it a book. And no one ever said you had to publish said book for it to be a book. So there it is.
And secretly I will be trying to figure out how you do publish books...because that seems kind of cool.
But speaking of our story, this week will be one year since I had emergency surgery in the hopes of saving our girls. One. Year. It blows my mind going back to those memories, remembering how we felt -what we didn't know then. So, today as I sit here next two a super chubby 7 month old who's watching Praise Baby for the first time ( she's more interested on eating my grocery receipt sitting next to her), I am in awe of how perfect Tabitha is....its worth saying over and over again like a broken record because miracles, in fact, don't happen to me every day...and sometimes I need to remember the ones that have happened. Tabitha is a miracle. I've got proof.
I've been reading through the beginning of the old testament the last few months and I like how God's always telling the Children of Israel to put stones various places and name them certain things so that their children will look at that big rock over there and ask, "Hey, what's that big rock doing right there?" and then they'll get to tell their children what great thing God has done. I think that's how I feel right now. I want my children to know what the Lord has done, and for me to do a good enough job explaining it that they will really be able to comprehend its greatness.
For now I'll just give my baby kisses and thank God for her every single day.
P.S. My goal is to be done with my "book" by Tabitha's first birthday...you know, first draft...but we'll see how it goes.
That being said, the Hubs is officially home and in the 3 days he's been home I've taken a nap (!) and gotten on Pinterest (!!) twice ( incidentally I found this sinful desert called Hot Fudge Pie...and it was amazing) which means that I'm back within my capacity and I have a few brain cells left to function at the level that I need to write this post. So here we are.
Let's back track to the part where I said I was writing a book ( its up at the top in case you missed it). Yup. I'm admitting it. It's embarrassing really because if you go to a bookstore lately its crazy what gets published (twilight?! really?!) and then I think about all the stuff that doesn't get published and I've got to be real with myself and admit that what I'm writing will probably not see the light of day and so up till now was just calling it a "story"...and it is. It is our story. But now that I've gotten several chapters in I feel like its only fair to call it a book. And no one ever said you had to publish said book for it to be a book. So there it is.
And secretly I will be trying to figure out how you do publish books...because that seems kind of cool.
But speaking of our story, this week will be one year since I had emergency surgery in the hopes of saving our girls. One. Year. It blows my mind going back to those memories, remembering how we felt -what we didn't know then. So, today as I sit here next two a super chubby 7 month old who's watching Praise Baby for the first time ( she's more interested on eating my grocery receipt sitting next to her), I am in awe of how perfect Tabitha is....its worth saying over and over again like a broken record because miracles, in fact, don't happen to me every day...and sometimes I need to remember the ones that have happened. Tabitha is a miracle. I've got proof.
I've been reading through the beginning of the old testament the last few months and I like how God's always telling the Children of Israel to put stones various places and name them certain things so that their children will look at that big rock over there and ask, "Hey, what's that big rock doing right there?" and then they'll get to tell their children what great thing God has done. I think that's how I feel right now. I want my children to know what the Lord has done, and for me to do a good enough job explaining it that they will really be able to comprehend its greatness.
For now I'll just give my baby kisses and thank God for her every single day.
P.S. My goal is to be done with my "book" by Tabitha's first birthday...you know, first draft...but we'll see how it goes.
July 05, 2013
The Hot House
Our air conditioner isn't working. It runs and runs its little heart out all day long leaving the house a current balmy 84 degrees at 7:30pm ( it dropped a degree, woo!) and then it leaves us with a lovely little present of an electricity bill of $300 at the end of June. *gulp*
Our landlords are currently "unwilling to address this nonissue" ( ok, that's not an actual quote...but the nutshell) and we've been around and around for going on 3 months, but that's not the point of this post. I've been complaining about it on Facebook for a while now, enjoying all the sympathetic responses of my fb friends...but tonight I felt I needed to say a few things that I haven't said on Facebook.
Lesson one: I have learned through this process that I'm not a particularly nice person sometimes. Especially when I feel like things are unfair. When this issue started my immediate response was outrage and a really amazing email that would make someone cry with just my words. However. The housing manager and I had spoken before. She knew I was a Christian. And so instead I wrote super nice emails and we had super nice conversations on the phone where I was above and beyond patient. I could run for president with my social skillz these past few weeks. Of course, it has done zero good...and we're still sitting around sweating in our underwear. Mostly, Ransom but you get the idea. But, I felt and I still feel that maintaining my Christian witness was more important. But what about all those other times?!? What about all those Starbucks baristas that got my order wrong? What about that waiter that brought out the wrong food and the restaurant that was incredibly slow when I had an impatient 3 year old waiting for dinner ( *ahem and me ahem*) ? What about that person who cut me off in traffic? Or the post office worker who is ignoring the long line of people waiting to be helped and taking his 15 minutes? These people don't know I'm a Christian and they definitely wouldn't be able to tell from my actions and words. Sometimes my sense of justice outweighs my sense of kindness and I want to do a better job.
So to be honest, I'm happy about our current living situation in the hotness of our house....because I feel like I've done what was right and kind and sometimes that matters more.
Lesson two: This is more of a reminder but still....I love our house. Did I tell you that I drove by the house that we almost rented before we found this one? It was on this awful zero plotline street with tons of traffic and no grass...Who even knows about the inside. All I know is that this house is not only everything we wanted ( close to Brett's work, room for entertaining and biblestudies etc) it also had things I didn't even know I wanted like sidewalks on the street so Ransom can safely ride his bike. Out of the way location that makes it seem like we live in the country when we live in the middle of a city. A back yard with rose bushes. A SCREENED IN BACK PORCH ( This has been on my dream house for years). A Starbucks with a drivethru a mile a way ( this is new, but worth mentioning because God knows ALL THINGS). And so I say all this to say that I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that this house was the one that God picked out for us. He wants us here. And I am so grateful for the kindnesses this home has offered us. That said, I'm currently uncomfortable, hot and sticky and reevaluating my monthly budget to try and include a giant bill. However, if I can trust the Lord to think of things like sidewalks and close Starbucks then He also knows that we're hot. He will take care of this. This is His fight. And while I will do things like consider getting my own air conditioner quotes and send daily reports of the temperature and unit activity to my house manager, I will do my best to not get a hothead about it ( pun intended).
Wish me luck. I'm still learning.
Our landlords are currently "unwilling to address this nonissue" ( ok, that's not an actual quote...but the nutshell) and we've been around and around for going on 3 months, but that's not the point of this post. I've been complaining about it on Facebook for a while now, enjoying all the sympathetic responses of my fb friends...but tonight I felt I needed to say a few things that I haven't said on Facebook.
Lesson one: I have learned through this process that I'm not a particularly nice person sometimes. Especially when I feel like things are unfair. When this issue started my immediate response was outrage and a really amazing email that would make someone cry with just my words. However. The housing manager and I had spoken before. She knew I was a Christian. And so instead I wrote super nice emails and we had super nice conversations on the phone where I was above and beyond patient. I could run for president with my social skillz these past few weeks. Of course, it has done zero good...and we're still sitting around sweating in our underwear. Mostly, Ransom but you get the idea. But, I felt and I still feel that maintaining my Christian witness was more important. But what about all those other times?!? What about all those Starbucks baristas that got my order wrong? What about that waiter that brought out the wrong food and the restaurant that was incredibly slow when I had an impatient 3 year old waiting for dinner ( *ahem and me ahem*) ? What about that person who cut me off in traffic? Or the post office worker who is ignoring the long line of people waiting to be helped and taking his 15 minutes? These people don't know I'm a Christian and they definitely wouldn't be able to tell from my actions and words. Sometimes my sense of justice outweighs my sense of kindness and I want to do a better job.
So to be honest, I'm happy about our current living situation in the hotness of our house....because I feel like I've done what was right and kind and sometimes that matters more.
Lesson two: This is more of a reminder but still....I love our house. Did I tell you that I drove by the house that we almost rented before we found this one? It was on this awful zero plotline street with tons of traffic and no grass...Who even knows about the inside. All I know is that this house is not only everything we wanted ( close to Brett's work, room for entertaining and biblestudies etc) it also had things I didn't even know I wanted like sidewalks on the street so Ransom can safely ride his bike. Out of the way location that makes it seem like we live in the country when we live in the middle of a city. A back yard with rose bushes. A SCREENED IN BACK PORCH ( This has been on my dream house for years). A Starbucks with a drivethru a mile a way ( this is new, but worth mentioning because God knows ALL THINGS). And so I say all this to say that I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that this house was the one that God picked out for us. He wants us here. And I am so grateful for the kindnesses this home has offered us. That said, I'm currently uncomfortable, hot and sticky and reevaluating my monthly budget to try and include a giant bill. However, if I can trust the Lord to think of things like sidewalks and close Starbucks then He also knows that we're hot. He will take care of this. This is His fight. And while I will do things like consider getting my own air conditioner quotes and send daily reports of the temperature and unit activity to my house manager, I will do my best to not get a hothead about it ( pun intended).
Wish me luck. I'm still learning.
June 28, 2013
Fridays...
So, on Friday evenings Brett leads an outreach bible study. And Friday's are always bad. Coincidence? I think not!! And I don't think I fully realized that until this evening when I caught myself thinking, "Man, it would be cool if Brett just forgot that he had bible study tonight so that I could get a break from these children."
You know, these children that I love. The one who has discovered that awful word, "Why?" which he says any time anyone asks him to do anything. Or that other one, the one who seems to have some sort of stomach issue going on. Who literally was happy only when being held a certain way and who didn't want to sleep at all....
Anyway, it is not accident that I'm not such a great of a person on Fridays. Kind of like when I was younger and I was always particularly terrible on Sunday mornings, the mornings that my Papa spent preparing his lessons for Church, and then one day my Mom or someone mentioned that maybe I was being used as an attack on those precious morning preparation times, and I was all like, "NU-UH am I gonna let the devil us ME!" So I tried to be good on Sunday mornings. ( tried being the operative word).
Anyway, so back to Fridays. So, when I caught myself thinking such an awfully selfish thought, I made a turn for the better and while my son continued to ask me "Why?" up until I turned the light off at 8pm. And while I did have to hold my crying baby girl several more times during the evening, I decided to end my night writing.
And not just any writing....I was going to write in the Priscilla Tabitha Story. And we're up to the part where we loose Priscilla which, as you can imagine, I basically have stalled on for quite some time.
But, I did it, I sat down and I wrote it.
I listened to Natalie Grant's song Held on repeat and I wrote it. And the cool thing was, that in the end I think the Lord gave me insight into some new cool thoughts. Which is why I love writing. Sometimes as I write a new thought just pours out of me as though I'd thought it before and like it was what I was going to write all along, when, in reality, it just came to me in that moment of fingers to keys. Those are some of the best moments and it is why writing is my therapy.
So I am grateful to a happy end to this day.
You know, these children that I love. The one who has discovered that awful word, "Why?" which he says any time anyone asks him to do anything. Or that other one, the one who seems to have some sort of stomach issue going on. Who literally was happy only when being held a certain way and who didn't want to sleep at all....
Anyway, it is not accident that I'm not such a great of a person on Fridays. Kind of like when I was younger and I was always particularly terrible on Sunday mornings, the mornings that my Papa spent preparing his lessons for Church, and then one day my Mom or someone mentioned that maybe I was being used as an attack on those precious morning preparation times, and I was all like, "NU-UH am I gonna let the devil us ME!" So I tried to be good on Sunday mornings. ( tried being the operative word).
Anyway, so back to Fridays. So, when I caught myself thinking such an awfully selfish thought, I made a turn for the better and while my son continued to ask me "Why?" up until I turned the light off at 8pm. And while I did have to hold my crying baby girl several more times during the evening, I decided to end my night writing.
And not just any writing....I was going to write in the Priscilla Tabitha Story. And we're up to the part where we loose Priscilla which, as you can imagine, I basically have stalled on for quite some time.
But, I did it, I sat down and I wrote it.
I listened to Natalie Grant's song Held on repeat and I wrote it. And the cool thing was, that in the end I think the Lord gave me insight into some new cool thoughts. Which is why I love writing. Sometimes as I write a new thought just pours out of me as though I'd thought it before and like it was what I was going to write all along, when, in reality, it just came to me in that moment of fingers to keys. Those are some of the best moments and it is why writing is my therapy.
So I am grateful to a happy end to this day.
June 13, 2013
Children's Books: Favorite Authors Edition (1 yr olds)
Thanks for all of you who mentioned some of your favorite books....some of you even mentioned some nonboard books that I'd lined up for future posts ( different categories, you know! hehehe!) That being said I've currently got FOUR MORE blog posts in the works, but its SO HARD not to just over run you with a million books...especially since there are a MILLION good books! But that's a good problem to have! If you haven't read my Board Book recommendations, you can do that....and stay tuned for "Books that I love ( 1-2yr olds)", "Favorite authors for 2-3 yr olds" and "Books that I love 2-3 yr olds."....and probably several more...hehe.
So, now I'm in to a section of books that is a little bit more complicated-every child is different, has different interests, will sit through different books, different lengths of books etc. etc.
And since I've only had ONE child so far, I have limited knowledge. But, limited knowledge has never ever stopped me from blogging before, now has it?!?! NOPE! hahaha! But seriously, I'm confident in my recommendations here....if you or your kid doesn't like these books then I'm wondering...can we really be friends?! ( kidding).
So without further ado! The books Ransom and I have liked over the last year or so have been varied and many so this will be in several posts. Tonight, for matter of simplicity I'm just going to list three authors who we love a LOT of their books. Kind of like Sandra Boynton I feel you cannot go wrong when you see one in the bookstore.
Mo Willems was introduced to me by my friend Miranda and I love love LOVE his books! Many of them are perfect for 1 year olds because they are pretty great on the words to pictures ratio for those with shorter attention spans. And the humor is good for both adults and children. Ransom's favorite is:
So, now I'm in to a section of books that is a little bit more complicated-every child is different, has different interests, will sit through different books, different lengths of books etc. etc.
And since I've only had ONE child so far, I have limited knowledge. But, limited knowledge has never ever stopped me from blogging before, now has it?!?! NOPE! hahaha! But seriously, I'm confident in my recommendations here....if you or your kid doesn't like these books then I'm wondering...can we really be friends?! ( kidding).
So without further ado! The books Ransom and I have liked over the last year or so have been varied and many so this will be in several posts. Tonight, for matter of simplicity I'm just going to list three authors who we love a LOT of their books. Kind of like Sandra Boynton I feel you cannot go wrong when you see one in the bookstore.
Mo Willems was introduced to me by my friend Miranda and I love love LOVE his books! Many of them are perfect for 1 year olds because they are pretty great on the words to pictures ratio for those with shorter attention spans. And the humor is good for both adults and children. Ransom's favorite is:
There are 3 Knuffle Bunny books, and beware. When I read the third one....standing in the children's section of Barnes and Nobles, I actually cried. As in tears. So don't let anyone tell you that you can't have actual heart in a picture book, because you can. These books are WONDERFUL.
My other favorite Mo books are probably the Pigeon Books and we check these out from the library pretty regularly:
Another favorite author of mind is Peter Spier. Many of his books are just pictures, which is great for all your non-readers but big-imagination children. I remember looking at several of his picture books for hours as a kid, coming up with my own stories. The thing is, that doesn't just happen. I think as parents we give our kids a head start in the imagination department by sitting down with them and showing them how its done. Which is what we've done with Spier's book, Rain:
And this book, Circus, while not entirely pictures- is still so rich in detail on every page that it might as well be! We hardly read what is actually written ( or at least not yet) its very technical, but Ransom loves looking at it and will often play "circus" throughout the day.
What I do NOT recommend is, "Noah's Ark". While we actually own a copy and Ransom will ask us to read it periodically, I do not think it is fitting for young children. Let's just say that Spier is maybe a little too good at being accurate in his pictures, and while Ransom loves pointing out all the piles of poop on the ark ( very good point, there Spier) , he also wonders what is going to happen to all those animals with water up around their necks that didn't make it on the boat....not a convo I'm wanting to have with my 2 year old!
Another great author that everyone probably already knows, is Richard Scarry.
My mom read this book every single night to Ransom when he was staying with her this past year. It was so soundly intrenched in his bedtime routine, I actually worried what we would do when he left! While I didn't go so far as to get my own copy ( this book is definitely a book that Spicy reads) we do have our own selection of Scarry's books that we love. Ransom's favorite of our collection is probably:
It's definitely a "boy" book, but it has enough other interesting things on every page to make it pretty enjoyable for girls too! ( Like looking for little goldbug on every page. totally fun). And if you're interested, the more story focused rather than picture focused of Scarry's books my favorite is probably, The Great Pie Robbery its pretty hilarious. :
And what about you? What are your favorite authors who just can't seem to go wrong when it comes to the tot books?! I'd love to hear your favs!
May 31, 2013
Children's Books: Board Books
One of the hundreds of reasons that I'm more of a "toddler/kid" person than a "baby" person is that I love to read to children. Watch You've Got Mail when Meg Ryan goes to Fox books and ends up telling some other customer what book she's looking for......this has happened to me numerous times. Probably because I'm just LOOKING for someone to half-whisper to themselves, "What to get for a 12 year old girl?" or "I wonder what my 3 year old nephew would like?" and I'm ALL OVER IT.
I should have been a children's librarian or a bookstore owner or something. But instead I'm a Mom, which allows me to pour all my love of books into my children. And let's just say that children's books are coming out of our ears.
We made these shelves for Ransom's room and I'm starting to think we should have made more. So not only does Tabitha have books in her room ( mostly of the board book variety) but Ransom has a book case plus the super cool rain-gutter shelves...
That being said, I think I'm going to do a little book series on my blog of my favorite books/Ransom's favorite books. And I suppose its best for me to start with Board Books for the under a year lot since it makes sense to go sequentially.
Many people don't think its important to read to your children when they are very young, but take it from me...its SO important. Ransom was probably about 8 months old when he first laughed at a book....and I think it teaches them so much, even if its just to sit still in your lap for a few minutes.
Here are our favorites. By the way, minor little rabbit trail rant, I HATE IT when publishers will publish a book that is for a WAY older audience in board book form just because they can! Then people end up getting a book for a child that is way over their head and they don't enjoy it and the just end up giving up....noooo gooooood! Board books should be for the tikes who still have the propensity to stick a book in their mouths or tear pages...We've got quite a few so called board books that I'm JUST NOW pulling out for Ransom because they weren't age appropriate till now. This fact confuses me.....Annnnnnnyway, there are SO many perfectly wonderful and age appropriate board books out there and after compiling my list, I realized that almost ALL these books were given to us as gifts! Thanks friends for sharing your awesome books with us, because this was definitely a category that I knew nothing about until I had a kid of my own!)
First tip: Buy ANYTHING by Sandra Boynton. I discovered her during Ransom's first year and I'm addicted. I pretty much have a girl crush on this woman because anyone who's ever had to read to a baby knows that repetition is the name of the game, and if I have to read something over and over it better be clever and extra points if its down right funny, and that is exactly what her books are!
( Follow her on twitter@SandyBoynton , she's hilarous)
So if I had to pick favorites of her books ( which is hard) I'd probably go with :
Here's another classic. Bonus: Ransom is not afraid of thunder because in the book it says, "Boom Boom Boom, Mr Brown is a wonder, Boom Boom Boom, Mr. Brown makes thunder." And so that is what Ransom says when he hears it outside. ( Thanks Miranda for giving us this book!)
I should have been a children's librarian or a bookstore owner or something. But instead I'm a Mom, which allows me to pour all my love of books into my children. And let's just say that children's books are coming out of our ears.
That being said, I think I'm going to do a little book series on my blog of my favorite books/Ransom's favorite books. And I suppose its best for me to start with Board Books for the under a year lot since it makes sense to go sequentially.
Many people don't think its important to read to your children when they are very young, but take it from me...its SO important. Ransom was probably about 8 months old when he first laughed at a book....and I think it teaches them so much, even if its just to sit still in your lap for a few minutes.
Here are our favorites. By the way, minor little rabbit trail rant, I HATE IT when publishers will publish a book that is for a WAY older audience in board book form just because they can! Then people end up getting a book for a child that is way over their head and they don't enjoy it and the just end up giving up....noooo gooooood! Board books should be for the tikes who still have the propensity to stick a book in their mouths or tear pages...We've got quite a few so called board books that I'm JUST NOW pulling out for Ransom because they weren't age appropriate till now. This fact confuses me.....Annnnnnnyway, there are SO many perfectly wonderful and age appropriate board books out there and after compiling my list, I realized that almost ALL these books were given to us as gifts! Thanks friends for sharing your awesome books with us, because this was definitely a category that I knew nothing about until I had a kid of my own!)
First tip: Buy ANYTHING by Sandra Boynton. I discovered her during Ransom's first year and I'm addicted. I pretty much have a girl crush on this woman because anyone who's ever had to read to a baby knows that repetition is the name of the game, and if I have to read something over and over it better be clever and extra points if its down right funny, and that is exactly what her books are!
( Follow her on twitter
So if I had to pick favorites of her books ( which is hard) I'd probably go with :
( you can click on any of the book's pictures to take you straight to where they can be purchased)
I'd also have to say that this one is also great (Thanks Tabitha for giving us this book) :
This one I found long after Ransom had pretty much outgrown board books but its so beautifully designed and its got such a funny surprise ending that I bought it anyway, besides the obvious reason that everybody, boy or girl, must read Austen from a young age:
 |
The next book is part of a whole series that is fantastic in the "touch and feel" category...which babies loooooove, here's one of our favorites ( Thanks Anna for giving us this book) but there is also a train one and a monkey one, a bunny, a dinosaur...pretty much anything your kid is in to:
This next book is cool because its pretty little and is perfect for slipping into your bag for an outing at the doctors or at a restaurant. And what kid doesn't like opening little flaps to see different animals?! ( Thank you Amber for this book!)
And last but not least, this book has taken residence in Tabitha's room because its a board book-but Ransom will continually get it out while I'm feeding his sister and have me read it to him. He's a fan. So am I ( Thanks Leila for this book!) :
Obviously there are MANY wonderful board books out there! So share with me some of your favorites! I'd love to broaden my horizons with Tabitha ( the thought of having to read some of them another hundred thousand times to her definitely gives me pause! hahaha!)
May 16, 2013
dusty
So, friends, I'm dusting off the ol' blog today after a truly awful day. I know, probably the worst way to blog. Nobody wants to read downer posts and I so hate the social media trend of using facebook and posts to just rant and vent...so I will not mention my day. I mentioned it on facebook instead. HA!
Instead, I'll take this time I usually get to spend with my husband ( the after the kids go to bed time) that is now my "alone" time since he's started night shifts for the forseeable future to write this post. I've had a lot floating around that I wanted to post but I was either lazy or busy and it didn't happen..usually a combo of both ;-)
So instead of a nice, well written post, here are some barely coherent thoughts:
I heard this Kutless song on the radio the other day and its kind of stuck with me:
~~~~~
One of the things I'm learning from writing out the girls story all at once, is that I crave feedback. Almost every time I sit down to write I end up wanting to send it to someone to read. Apparently I have been blogging too long and now I want to not only get things off my chest, but I also want validation from another person. Uh-oh. I feel like Greg Kinnear's character in You've Got Mail who's always wanting people to read his work out loud or asking for feedback. So, anyway, other than a friend of mine who's a pretty awesome editor, I havent sent it out to anyone and I don't think even Brett has read it. So this is good. Growth.
~~~~~
Brett and I have been following a pretty close budget the last two months thanks to an iphone app toshl finance. It has cutesy little monster animation to try to distract you from the fact that you're spending tons of money. It feeds my OCD nature and I looove looking at my little money chart. That being said I already went over my "spending money" budget for the month because I had to buy some summer clothes that fit ( thanks extra 30 pounds pregnancy!! Way to over stay your welcome!!! )....and then as awful luck would have it, I found this purse that I really really wanted:
Its a gorgeous Tailor and Stylist bag.
It has now become clear that I just might be the one that spends money not Brett spending it on coffee. ( to be far, he DOES spend lots of money on coffee...coffee just doesnt cost $50 a pop. sigh)
Anyway.
Since my current purse double as a diaper bag, its just as well that I can't buy this one...but someone else should buy it because look how cute it is!! Don't let this go to waste!
~~~~~
Last week I watched Good Will Hunting on Netflix because I was in the mood. Did you realize that movie is like 15 years old?!?! I'm not even kidding. I remember when Matt and Ben won the Oscar for best screen play like it was yesterday. Wow.
~~~~~
So, Tabitha is 4 months old and she has yet to laugh. She has learned to screech with glee, on the other hand. So, yeah, not sure what to think about that. I'm wondering if I'm just not very funny (?)
~~~~~
I have officially entered the period of time that happens every time I move ( or in the case of Georgia when all my friends moved away all at once.) where I feel incredibly lonely and I think that I will never ever have any friends ever again. This time, however, I had the added bonus of also having two kids...one of whom I'd ALSO like to have friends and the other who I'd like to have friends one day when she starts to laugh at things. I had no idea having kids was going to add this heartbreaking element. Or maybe I did know and I just blocked it out, or I thought it wouldn't come so soon. Watching Ransom at the park watching other kids play literally BROKE MY HEART the other day. Nevermind that he's always been more comfortable watching in big groups. It just reinforced in my mind that I really miss his little friends: Emmy, Elizabeth, Kilsyth...dude. He needs some boy friends.
~~~~~
Instead, I'll take this time I usually get to spend with my husband ( the after the kids go to bed time) that is now my "alone" time since he's started night shifts for the forseeable future to write this post. I've had a lot floating around that I wanted to post but I was either lazy or busy and it didn't happen..usually a combo of both ;-)
So instead of a nice, well written post, here are some barely coherent thoughts:
I heard this Kutless song on the radio the other day and its kind of stuck with me:
~~~~~
One of the things I'm learning from writing out the girls story all at once, is that I crave feedback. Almost every time I sit down to write I end up wanting to send it to someone to read. Apparently I have been blogging too long and now I want to not only get things off my chest, but I also want validation from another person. Uh-oh. I feel like Greg Kinnear's character in You've Got Mail who's always wanting people to read his work out loud or asking for feedback. So, anyway, other than a friend of mine who's a pretty awesome editor, I havent sent it out to anyone and I don't think even Brett has read it. So this is good. Growth.
~~~~~
Brett and I have been following a pretty close budget the last two months thanks to an iphone app toshl finance. It has cutesy little monster animation to try to distract you from the fact that you're spending tons of money. It feeds my OCD nature and I looove looking at my little money chart. That being said I already went over my "spending money" budget for the month because I had to buy some summer clothes that fit ( thanks extra 30 pounds pregnancy!! Way to over stay your welcome!!! )....and then as awful luck would have it, I found this purse that I really really wanted:
It has now become clear that I just might be the one that spends money not Brett spending it on coffee. ( to be far, he DOES spend lots of money on coffee...coffee just doesnt cost $50 a pop. sigh)
Anyway.
Since my current purse double as a diaper bag, its just as well that I can't buy this one...but someone else should buy it because look how cute it is!! Don't let this go to waste!
~~~~~
Last week I watched Good Will Hunting on Netflix because I was in the mood. Did you realize that movie is like 15 years old?!?! I'm not even kidding. I remember when Matt and Ben won the Oscar for best screen play like it was yesterday. Wow.
~~~~~
So, Tabitha is 4 months old and she has yet to laugh. She has learned to screech with glee, on the other hand. So, yeah, not sure what to think about that. I'm wondering if I'm just not very funny (?)
~~~~~
I have officially entered the period of time that happens every time I move ( or in the case of Georgia when all my friends moved away all at once.) where I feel incredibly lonely and I think that I will never ever have any friends ever again. This time, however, I had the added bonus of also having two kids...one of whom I'd ALSO like to have friends and the other who I'd like to have friends one day when she starts to laugh at things. I had no idea having kids was going to add this heartbreaking element. Or maybe I did know and I just blocked it out, or I thought it wouldn't come so soon. Watching Ransom at the park watching other kids play literally BROKE MY HEART the other day. Nevermind that he's always been more comfortable watching in big groups. It just reinforced in my mind that I really miss his little friends: Emmy, Elizabeth, Kilsyth...dude. He needs some boy friends.
~~~~~
May 05, 2013
To Rest
We spent the last week with family ( or at least the kids and I did, Brett drove up on Sunday after work) taking advantage of our last "4 days off" for Brett's work before the summer surge hits. It was good. I'm boiling it all up to the celebration of life. My niece turned 3 with a fairy princess party. We honored my good friend Jennifer's twins ( and she surprised us by honoring OUR twins too!) at the March of Dimes
walk. And Brett and I spread Priscilla's ashes...
It's weird, I know, that I say celebrate life when some of what we did was deal with death, but that's the thing... As Brett and I walked with our baby girls ashes the thing that popped into my head was a line from the song In Christ Alone :
I am grateful for this constant reminder of the miracles-both big and small- that The Lord gives us on a daily basis.
If you are interested, you can read the letter I read out loud to Priscilla when we spread her ashes here.
walk. And Brett and I spread Priscilla's ashes...
It's weird, I know, that I say celebrate life when some of what we did was deal with death, but that's the thing... As Brett and I walked with our baby girls ashes the thing that popped into my head was a line from the song In Christ Alone :
No guilt in life, no fear in death, This is the power of Christ in me; From life's first cry to final breath. Jesus commands my destiny. No power of hell, no scheme of man, Can ever pluck me from His hand; Till He returns or calls me home, Here in the power of Christ I'll stand. We had sung this song on Sunday in church, but I know it came to my mind as a comforting reminder in those moments. There is nothing like facing the finality of death to help one realize how miraculous Life can be! Whether one admits it or not, He is the one who controls our destinies. He is the one who knows us better than we know ourselves. As for my baby girl? As for my niece, my friends, their children, my very own life- they are all in His Hand! |
I am grateful for this constant reminder of the miracles-both big and small- that The Lord gives us on a daily basis.
If you are interested, you can read the letter I read out loud to Priscilla when we spread her ashes here.
April 17, 2013
therapy.
So, clearly, this whole writing the girls story business is going to be harder than I thought. But also therapeutic because there are some things I have literally not thought about in a long time, and definitely things I haven't necessarily put into words.
Writing is really my cheapest form of therapy because it makes me sit here and think things through enough to where I can get it into words, then sentences and then paragraphs-till hopefully it can go back into my brain ( through reading it back ) neater and tidier than when it came out.
That being said I totally cried this afternoon. I skipped ahead a tiny bit ( so far I've been going sequentially) to get the months of July and August out of the way....they have been weighing on me ever since I started writing a week ago. They are the months leading up to the surgery and in some ways hold the most emotional baggage of our experience-much more so than the time directly after the surgery. I'm sure there is a good explanation for this, but I'm not exactly sure what it is yet....when I figure it out, I'll be sure to write it down. ;-)
Writing is really my cheapest form of therapy because it makes me sit here and think things through enough to where I can get it into words, then sentences and then paragraphs-till hopefully it can go back into my brain ( through reading it back ) neater and tidier than when it came out.
That being said I totally cried this afternoon. I skipped ahead a tiny bit ( so far I've been going sequentially) to get the months of July and August out of the way....they have been weighing on me ever since I started writing a week ago. They are the months leading up to the surgery and in some ways hold the most emotional baggage of our experience-much more so than the time directly after the surgery. I'm sure there is a good explanation for this, but I'm not exactly sure what it is yet....when I figure it out, I'll be sure to write it down. ;-)
April 16, 2013
Digging around creates....dirt.
So, it has been impressed upon me recently that I must write Tabitha and Priscilla's story in its entirety, before I forget all the little details that sadly fade with time...
This means that lately I've been sitting down in front of a Word document a couple of times a week and weeding through the dusty archives of my memory. I can't tell you the last time I've sat down in front of a word document for this long....actually, I can. It was in college.
That being said, its good to write, though, at times it is painful. Having to relive in my mind and heart the excitement and joy ( oh, ok, and FEAR) that we experienced when we found out we were having twins....its hard to conjure up. Love lost is hard to think about. Expectations that will never be met are hard to look at full in the face.
If I'm honest I think I was afraid that it would bring on other feelings, things like bitterness or even embarrassment ( like, how could I be so silly as to think that God would give ME twins?!). But, really bringing up these memories just brings them into the Light. The light of His truth.
There is such freedom in the truth and in the Light. And I know that this will be good for me....especially as one who tends to error on the side of denial... digging around in my memory and my heart are probably a good idea.
That being said, bear with me....I don't rightly know how this will affect my blog. In college, writing assignments actually made me blog MORE ( a mixture of procrastination and also having all that pent up creativity brought to the surface), but given that I have two children and a husband-these days my time is so limited in the writing department it might mean this blog is neglected-who can say?!
But I wanted to give you a heads up just the same....
And if we're all good...maybe at the end of this I'll have a Story to share....
This means that lately I've been sitting down in front of a Word document a couple of times a week and weeding through the dusty archives of my memory. I can't tell you the last time I've sat down in front of a word document for this long....actually, I can. It was in college.
That being said, its good to write, though, at times it is painful. Having to relive in my mind and heart the excitement and joy ( oh, ok, and FEAR) that we experienced when we found out we were having twins....its hard to conjure up. Love lost is hard to think about. Expectations that will never be met are hard to look at full in the face.
If I'm honest I think I was afraid that it would bring on other feelings, things like bitterness or even embarrassment ( like, how could I be so silly as to think that God would give ME twins?!). But, really bringing up these memories just brings them into the Light. The light of His truth.
There is such freedom in the truth and in the Light. And I know that this will be good for me....especially as one who tends to error on the side of denial... digging around in my memory and my heart are probably a good idea.
That being said, bear with me....I don't rightly know how this will affect my blog. In college, writing assignments actually made me blog MORE ( a mixture of procrastination and also having all that pent up creativity brought to the surface), but given that I have two children and a husband-these days my time is so limited in the writing department it might mean this blog is neglected-who can say?!
But I wanted to give you a heads up just the same....
And if we're all good...maybe at the end of this I'll have a Story to share....
April 12, 2013
A grown up Mommy.
This week I visited preschools....next week I am interviewing babysitters. This makes me feel like an adult. Kind of like when I first got a job, I grabbed my car keys and my cup of coffee in a travel mug and headed out the door....for some reason that was some kind of cliche in my mind of what a grown up girl who has a job does. ( I almost said working girl. ahem.) Anyway, for my preschool tours I got dressed and put on makeup way early in the morning ( like before 9am) and went and presented myself all collected like and asked questions like, "do you focus more on socialization or on a specific curriculum?" which, if you think that's an impressive question, you'd be right...I got it from my sister. I asked her what to ask about because I wanted to seem like I knew what I was talking about... This was, of course, an act because I've been extra air-headed lately.
I went to Michaels to buy a frame for something that Brett wanted framed, and I took in the picture so that I could look at it with the frames...then I bought a frame and walked out of the store...leaving my picture behind. fabulous.
I also went to the store today and left the garage open....luckily the grocery store's electricity was out (!?!) and therefore we werent able to go and I was home much faster than I would have been...but still...you get the point...
So next week, I am interviewing baby-sitters. I've never had to do this because I 'inherited' my last baby sitter from my friend Marie. Liz was the greatest thing to happen to babysitting and so I had her for the last two years. Now I am faced with the sad job of trying to replace her. Its awful. I actually cried after her last time with Ransom.
So, what kind of questions should I ask? I'm so nervous! I don't want to be more nervous than the person who supposedly wants a job from me! Eek! So, if anyone has any advice for me as far as good probing questions that will weed out the "soup opera watchers" from the "I make up crafts to do with your child" sitters, I'd be appreciative....
Ok, back to parenting. Tabitha and I are going through sleep training at the moment. It's been much harder with her, ironically, because she's such an easier baby. With Ransom he was so grumpy and crying all the time, a little crying at nap time and bedtime didn't bother me so much. I was immune. With Tabitha, she's just so sweet and good....I feel so bad to hear her crying and thus I cave pretty much all the time. Ah well, if there's anything I've learned this second time around its to not be too hard on myself, this parenting thing is not so set in stone as the books make it out to be. For instance, your toddler will be adorable, dancing on the hearth for his bear and lamb one minute, and throwing an all out fit the next minute. This is life.
Maybe I'll ask my possible babysitters a "hypothetical" question regarding two year olds with multiple personalities...
I went to Michaels to buy a frame for something that Brett wanted framed, and I took in the picture so that I could look at it with the frames...then I bought a frame and walked out of the store...leaving my picture behind. fabulous.
I also went to the store today and left the garage open....luckily the grocery store's electricity was out (!?!) and therefore we werent able to go and I was home much faster than I would have been...but still...you get the point...
So next week, I am interviewing baby-sitters. I've never had to do this because I 'inherited' my last baby sitter from my friend Marie. Liz was the greatest thing to happen to babysitting and so I had her for the last two years. Now I am faced with the sad job of trying to replace her. Its awful. I actually cried after her last time with Ransom.
So, what kind of questions should I ask? I'm so nervous! I don't want to be more nervous than the person who supposedly wants a job from me! Eek! So, if anyone has any advice for me as far as good probing questions that will weed out the "soup opera watchers" from the "I make up crafts to do with your child" sitters, I'd be appreciative....
Ok, back to parenting. Tabitha and I are going through sleep training at the moment. It's been much harder with her, ironically, because she's such an easier baby. With Ransom he was so grumpy and crying all the time, a little crying at nap time and bedtime didn't bother me so much. I was immune. With Tabitha, she's just so sweet and good....I feel so bad to hear her crying and thus I cave pretty much all the time. Ah well, if there's anything I've learned this second time around its to not be too hard on myself, this parenting thing is not so set in stone as the books make it out to be. For instance, your toddler will be adorable, dancing on the hearth for his bear and lamb one minute, and throwing an all out fit the next minute. This is life.
Maybe I'll ask my possible babysitters a "hypothetical" question regarding two year olds with multiple personalities...
April 09, 2013
Smother mother council
Brett started "work-work" this week meaning he'll be working all week. Something we've thankfully haven't had to experience for almost a month! Glory glory! It has been so incredibly nice to take a breather as a family. We needed it.
But, now I'm back being full-time mommy and I'd forgotten how hard it is. You just don't get anything done. Which is why I'm blogging right now instead of taking a shower. Who needs showers? Besides I did things backwards today....I got up early, put on makeup and got all prettied up and such and went to a preschool tour, then I came home and worked out. So, you know, my body isn't really sure whether it smells like sweat or perfume, or if it looks like nicely applied eyeliner or very messy hair....eh.
So, yeah, lets talk about that preschool tour....That's some overwhelming stuff! I know Ransom would really love the socialization and the routine of going back to preschool in the fall ( he loved it so much when he was in Nacogdoches, he STILL talks about his teachers) but Momma is having a hard time with the idea! I mean, just thinking about my little dude being there without me is hard! I know, I know, I was without him for months but that was necessity and now I'm back to clinging on for dear life. But, I don't want to be a smother mother so, I'm doing my Mommy-duty and I'm putting on my cute shoes and make up and pretending that I do that every day, and I'm visiting preschools....
sigh
I'm feeling extra smother-y because last week Ransom had an allergic reaction to a bug bite at the park and we had to rush to the Doctor and we were sent home with Epi-pens. Eeek! Way to freak out a Mommy by giving her a shot to jab into her son's leg in an emergency! It was the reminder the "worrier" in me "needed" to amp up the worry. And yet, I'm fighting it. I know that these are all things I cannot control, and the only thing I can do is my very best for any given day...today it was sidewalk chalk and playdough...and tomorrow we'll try to make cookies. If I can't protect them from everything, at least help me to give them some good memories...
But, now I'm back being full-time mommy and I'd forgotten how hard it is. You just don't get anything done. Which is why I'm blogging right now instead of taking a shower. Who needs showers? Besides I did things backwards today....I got up early, put on makeup and got all prettied up and such and went to a preschool tour, then I came home and worked out. So, you know, my body isn't really sure whether it smells like sweat or perfume, or if it looks like nicely applied eyeliner or very messy hair....eh.
So, yeah, lets talk about that preschool tour....That's some overwhelming stuff! I know Ransom would really love the socialization and the routine of going back to preschool in the fall ( he loved it so much when he was in Nacogdoches, he STILL talks about his teachers) but Momma is having a hard time with the idea! I mean, just thinking about my little dude being there without me is hard! I know, I know, I was without him for months but that was necessity and now I'm back to clinging on for dear life. But, I don't want to be a smother mother so, I'm doing my Mommy-duty and I'm putting on my cute shoes and make up and pretending that I do that every day, and I'm visiting preschools....
sigh
I'm feeling extra smother-y because last week Ransom had an allergic reaction to a bug bite at the park and we had to rush to the Doctor and we were sent home with Epi-pens. Eeek! Way to freak out a Mommy by giving her a shot to jab into her son's leg in an emergency! It was the reminder the "worrier" in me "needed" to amp up the worry. And yet, I'm fighting it. I know that these are all things I cannot control, and the only thing I can do is my very best for any given day...today it was sidewalk chalk and playdough...and tomorrow we'll try to make cookies. If I can't protect them from everything, at least help me to give them some good memories...
April 05, 2013
Different
What happens in a month? A lot. And while I've known my blog was being heartily neglected, I knew that it was probably a good idea because my head space was probably the messiest it has been in a long long time. Nobodies got time for that. Or rather nobody has time to read that....
But for better or worse, I'm back and this morning Brett gave me some time to go be. Which basically means, away from children, away from house, away from husband... to think a little bit more clearly.
So, I sit here in my new city...San Antonio ( if you don't know how we got here: Read this post!). I am full of thankfulness. Thankfulness that we made it to San Antonio at ALL. Amazing.
Thankful that we're here to do life and ministry with such wonderful friends. Thankful that the Lord "picked out" a house for us ( I didn't see it until we'd affectively already moved in.)...a house that's perfectly hidden behind a large nature reserve, but close to Super Target and Nordstroms rack*. It even has a horse farm down the road that Ransom already loves...how does God know even the things that we need that I didn't even know!?
In reading of the Bible this past week I read this verse:
"So he called its name Rehoboth, saying, for now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land." Gen 26:22
That's how I feel. I feel like room has been made for us, and even though I've still got growing pains that all new places bring-getting lost on the way to this coffee shop, for instance. I know that this is where we're suppose to be and I will believe that we will be "fruitful" here.
We're in a cool place of being perfectly in the middle....the middle between our dear friends the Woods and the Thars who are all grandparents both physically and spiritually, and the students at Fort Sam Houston that are all babies ( ok, they're probably 19 or 20 on average.) that we are trying to share the love of Jesus with....its gonna be pretty fun, I think. And very very different.
I'm ready for different.
*I had to pull out our dusty budget and revamp it....I've never had trouble staying in our budget, but after living here about two days I realized I was going to be in trouble if I didn't do something....girlfriend likes have so many fun things close by. hehe)
But for better or worse, I'm back and this morning Brett gave me some time to go be. Which basically means, away from children, away from house, away from husband... to think a little bit more clearly.
So, I sit here in my new city...San Antonio ( if you don't know how we got here: Read this post!). I am full of thankfulness. Thankfulness that we made it to San Antonio at ALL. Amazing.
Thankful that we're here to do life and ministry with such wonderful friends. Thankful that the Lord "picked out" a house for us ( I didn't see it until we'd affectively already moved in.)...a house that's perfectly hidden behind a large nature reserve, but close to Super Target and Nordstroms rack*. It even has a horse farm down the road that Ransom already loves...how does God know even the things that we need that I didn't even know!?
In reading of the Bible this past week I read this verse:
"So he called its name Rehoboth, saying, for now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land." Gen 26:22
That's how I feel. I feel like room has been made for us, and even though I've still got growing pains that all new places bring-getting lost on the way to this coffee shop, for instance. I know that this is where we're suppose to be and I will believe that we will be "fruitful" here.
We're in a cool place of being perfectly in the middle....the middle between our dear friends the Woods and the Thars who are all grandparents both physically and spiritually, and the students at Fort Sam Houston that are all babies ( ok, they're probably 19 or 20 on average.) that we are trying to share the love of Jesus with....its gonna be pretty fun, I think. And very very different.
I'm ready for different.
*I had to pull out our dusty budget and revamp it....I've never had trouble staying in our budget, but after living here about two days I realized I was going to be in trouble if I didn't do something....girlfriend likes have so many fun things close by. hehe)
March 09, 2013
Clean house...clean mind
Is this a common phrase? I'm not even sure where it comes from but its definitely true in my life. The last few weeks-really ever since I had a moment in my living room where I noticed how dusty the TV was and I calculated how many days we had left here at Benning ( a week and a half at the time) and I decided it wasn't worth the effort to clean any more....probably a big mistake. I've gotten increasingly frazzled and increasingly on edge ever since....case in point I lost Tabitha's baby monitor for a whole day. Misplaced it in the morning and didn't think much of it, but by the end of the day Brett and I were both scouring the house, even going through the trash cans, trying to find the monitor....no luck.
Next morning I go to get Ransom some socks out of his sock basket. There was the monitor.
Basically I've become a literal basket case.
To make matters more awesome and "unsettled" Brett and I have moved ourselves and Tabitha into the guest bedroom ( which I had incidentally already deemed "mover ready" so I had to re-make the bed etc.) because Brett noticed tale tell signs of mold in our hole-ridden bedroom ceiling. Just what we and our newborn need are mold spores in our lungs. I am so angry at the injustice of how they have never fixed our roof after 2 years of leaking. Honestly, I know I should just let it go, but I feel like they are getting away with more because its "on post housing" if this were in a typical apartment complex I feel like we'd at least get some rent pro-rated or SOMETHING for this kind of behavior! Now I'm just complaining.
Bottom line. It turns out I'm an orderly person. And I like things neat and tidy and relatively clean. And I can HARDLY WAIT to be living such a life again.....
2 more days till we say goodbye!!
Next morning I go to get Ransom some socks out of his sock basket. There was the monitor.
Basically I've become a literal basket case.
To make matters more awesome and "unsettled" Brett and I have moved ourselves and Tabitha into the guest bedroom ( which I had incidentally already deemed "mover ready" so I had to re-make the bed etc.) because Brett noticed tale tell signs of mold in our hole-ridden bedroom ceiling. Just what we and our newborn need are mold spores in our lungs. I am so angry at the injustice of how they have never fixed our roof after 2 years of leaking. Honestly, I know I should just let it go, but I feel like they are getting away with more because its "on post housing" if this were in a typical apartment complex I feel like we'd at least get some rent pro-rated or SOMETHING for this kind of behavior! Now I'm just complaining.
Bottom line. It turns out I'm an orderly person. And I like things neat and tidy and relatively clean. And I can HARDLY WAIT to be living such a life again.....
2 more days till we say goodbye!!
March 03, 2013
In 10 minutes
Last night the ministry we've been a part of here at Fort Benning had a party, and Brett and I were given 10 minutes of the event to share what God has done in our lives while we've lived here, as a 'goodbye' of sorts....well, as anyone who's known me long can attest, 10 minutes was HARD to stick to...especially since between Brett and I, it was really just 5...but, it was good to have to condense all that time into something compact that can be seen easily from somewhere other than space. It helped me to see just what has been done in my heart, in our families....so, here's a little bit of an "extended" version of what I said last night:
We have lived at Fort Benning since November 2009. That's over 3 years. When I prayed that we'd get to live somewhere for longer than a year, I wasn't expecting this. I wasn't expecting south west Georgia, on the Alabama border. I wasn't expecting living at a super transient Army post where most people come for only months at a time....and well, before I have to put " I wasn't expecting" at the beginning of every sentence of this post, basically the last three years are some of the hardest most challenging years I've ever faced. Looking back nothing was was I expected, but this is what I got:
Some of the most diverse bunch of ladies, to walk along side -some for just a short while and some, thankfully, for longer but some of the women who have impacted me the MOST are; Rolinda ( the only one who was here when we arrived and who is still here...THAT'S how temporary this place can be for most people!), Marie, Keri, Deb, Bonnie, Jessie, Chris, Michelle, Susan, Melissa, Katie, Adelaide, Miranda, Robin, Britton, Lindsay and Shannon.... And many more! And that's not counting Sarah or Jane or Cindy who were part of my time in Texas this last year but who also impacted me greatly.
We also had some guys live with us over the past three years, Nate, JJ, and Gordon hardly counted but they taught me some things about having single guys in my home that I'm glad I learned. But then there was Jaymon and Hayden who lived with us for much longer and whom I was really so blessed to share our lives with.
In the three years here, we ran a "typical" navigator bible study at Airborne chapel, but with the added twist of having those attending usually only being with us for three weeks ( the length of airborne school).... This meant that we'd have to make relationships quickly and ask ourselves what is really important when you're sharing Christ with someone. It also meant we could never get comfortable and stop asking people to come to Bible study, if we didn't invite new people in a month the place would be dead! I learned a lot about rejection and cutting to the chase.
Then we went to pave a new study at Kelley Hill where Brett was working, and we had the funniest bunch of dudes! There I learned that I don't always get to choose who I'm suppose to love. See Thanksgiving 2011. Strippers were definitely talked about at my dining room table. Ahem.
During the last three years we've seen the gamut of ministry styles which has meant just as much an adjustment for our social side of things as our spiritual- We went from having large Barbecues hosted at our house almost every week, weekly standing dinners at the on post Mexican Restaurant with lots and lots of people, to hardly seeing anyone at ALL for months on end, to having home churches spread out across Fort Benning where we'd see a small group of people .... This happened when we started the Great Commission Experiment ( which was, just that, an Experiment based on following the Great Commission, focusing on the "go") and that was when I saw hardly anyone at all for weeks on end because everyone was "going" and I was a stay at home mom...focusing on the staying.... anyway, the experiment lead to simplified small groups where simple storytelling and some basic questions were the focus and by this time Brett was in Command at work and we moved from "leadership" to "helper"-stepping back to support our friends the Fones and the group they were having in their home. Being a part of that group and also meeting with two couples on Sundays for "church" was both challenging and encouraging.
These small groups then morphed in to another small group type set up, but I can't say much about that because this is when my own journey took me to Texas for 5 long months.... Which brings me to the personal part of my time here at Fort Benning.
To account all the personal lessons I've learned would be impossible ( some I've probably forgotten, and I'll sadly have to learn them again) but some I feel like have changed me and been written on my heart in a way I know I will never forget.
Living in the Wood's house for 5 months. Working for Chuck and the Army leadership team. Becoming a Mother, Brett making it through Ranger School-starting 10 days after Ransom was born. Recovery from having a baby-FYI doesn't take just 6 weeks. Surviving a colicky baby and learning the many joys and trails of being someones Mommy ( this, I think is different from 'becoming a mother'. )Brett's company command and the 24/7 work that entailed. Brett telling me we were going to follow the Woods, and finding out that meant going to San Antonio. Dealing with some personal criticism. Finding out I was pregnant with twins. Dealing with the increasingly scary prospects of that pregnancy. Bed rest and having to rely on others for EVERYTHING. The loss of Priscilla. The miracle of Tabitha. The life of extended hospital stays and the Ronald McDonald house.....All these things together equal a very different Abigail than the one who started. And isn't that the promise? There is a great work being done in my life, and hopefully it isn't even remotely finished....
I arrived at Fort Benning on my 26th Birthday, excited about getting to spend time with my husband after a year long deployment. I'd spent that year immersed in women's ministry at Fort Lewis and I thought I was up for whatever was going to be thrown my way...
I will leave Fort Benning the mother of two, with my husband with whom I've celebrated life with, and grieved over death, and I know for a FACT that I am actually not up for whatever is thrown my way, but that God definitely is....
We have lived at Fort Benning since November 2009. That's over 3 years. When I prayed that we'd get to live somewhere for longer than a year, I wasn't expecting this. I wasn't expecting south west Georgia, on the Alabama border. I wasn't expecting living at a super transient Army post where most people come for only months at a time....and well, before I have to put " I wasn't expecting" at the beginning of every sentence of this post, basically the last three years are some of the hardest most challenging years I've ever faced. Looking back nothing was was I expected, but this is what I got:
Some of the most diverse bunch of ladies, to walk along side -some for just a short while and some, thankfully, for longer but some of the women who have impacted me the MOST are; Rolinda ( the only one who was here when we arrived and who is still here...THAT'S how temporary this place can be for most people!), Marie, Keri, Deb, Bonnie, Jessie, Chris, Michelle, Susan, Melissa, Katie, Adelaide, Miranda, Robin, Britton, Lindsay and Shannon.... And many more! And that's not counting Sarah or Jane or Cindy who were part of my time in Texas this last year but who also impacted me greatly.
We also had some guys live with us over the past three years, Nate, JJ, and Gordon hardly counted but they taught me some things about having single guys in my home that I'm glad I learned. But then there was Jaymon and Hayden who lived with us for much longer and whom I was really so blessed to share our lives with.
In the three years here, we ran a "typical" navigator bible study at Airborne chapel, but with the added twist of having those attending usually only being with us for three weeks ( the length of airborne school).... This meant that we'd have to make relationships quickly and ask ourselves what is really important when you're sharing Christ with someone. It also meant we could never get comfortable and stop asking people to come to Bible study, if we didn't invite new people in a month the place would be dead! I learned a lot about rejection and cutting to the chase.
Then we went to pave a new study at Kelley Hill where Brett was working, and we had the funniest bunch of dudes! There I learned that I don't always get to choose who I'm suppose to love. See Thanksgiving 2011. Strippers were definitely talked about at my dining room table. Ahem.
During the last three years we've seen the gamut of ministry styles which has meant just as much an adjustment for our social side of things as our spiritual- We went from having large Barbecues hosted at our house almost every week, weekly standing dinners at the on post Mexican Restaurant with lots and lots of people, to hardly seeing anyone at ALL for months on end, to having home churches spread out across Fort Benning where we'd see a small group of people .... This happened when we started the Great Commission Experiment ( which was, just that, an Experiment based on following the Great Commission, focusing on the "go") and that was when I saw hardly anyone at all for weeks on end because everyone was "going" and I was a stay at home mom...focusing on the staying.... anyway, the experiment lead to simplified small groups where simple storytelling and some basic questions were the focus and by this time Brett was in Command at work and we moved from "leadership" to "helper"-stepping back to support our friends the Fones and the group they were having in their home. Being a part of that group and also meeting with two couples on Sundays for "church" was both challenging and encouraging.
These small groups then morphed in to another small group type set up, but I can't say much about that because this is when my own journey took me to Texas for 5 long months.... Which brings me to the personal part of my time here at Fort Benning.
To account all the personal lessons I've learned would be impossible ( some I've probably forgotten, and I'll sadly have to learn them again) but some I feel like have changed me and been written on my heart in a way I know I will never forget.
Living in the Wood's house for 5 months. Working for Chuck and the Army leadership team. Becoming a Mother, Brett making it through Ranger School-starting 10 days after Ransom was born. Recovery from having a baby-FYI doesn't take just 6 weeks. Surviving a colicky baby and learning the many joys and trails of being someones Mommy ( this, I think is different from 'becoming a mother'. )Brett's company command and the 24/7 work that entailed. Brett telling me we were going to follow the Woods, and finding out that meant going to San Antonio. Dealing with some personal criticism. Finding out I was pregnant with twins. Dealing with the increasingly scary prospects of that pregnancy. Bed rest and having to rely on others for EVERYTHING. The loss of Priscilla. The miracle of Tabitha. The life of extended hospital stays and the Ronald McDonald house.....All these things together equal a very different Abigail than the one who started. And isn't that the promise? There is a great work being done in my life, and hopefully it isn't even remotely finished....
I arrived at Fort Benning on my 26th Birthday, excited about getting to spend time with my husband after a year long deployment. I'd spent that year immersed in women's ministry at Fort Lewis and I thought I was up for whatever was going to be thrown my way...
I will leave Fort Benning the mother of two, with my husband with whom I've celebrated life with, and grieved over death, and I know for a FACT that I am actually not up for whatever is thrown my way, but that God definitely is....
February 23, 2013
In my dreams
A little known fact about me is that when I was younger...pre-kids, pre-husband, I use to day-dream or rather "night-dream" about houses. Not boys or mushy stuff.... houses. That's right. One of the only ways for me to fall asleep at night was to create floor plans. Mansions, houses, cottages, lofts....and then when I got a design I particularly liked I'd spend night after night decorating the rooms.
Here was the house when I was in the process of moving furniture around....stay tuned for the finish product...and hopefully the real thing ( as long as we survive!)!
I'll have to ask my Mom, but I think I may have gotten this trait from my Mema? I vaguely remember hearing that she use to do this too...
Anyway, we've recently found a house in San Antonio that we'll most likely rent ( the paper work is just waiting to be signed), and I definitely hope it ends up that way because if we dont then I've wasted a LOT of time! You see, as soon as this house entered my radar as the one we'd probably be living in...my old tendencies kicked back in...you know, the ones I'd lost when I had serious worries to think about at night rather than fanciful dreams...
So, as soon as we decided on the house, and our friends Deb and Bonnie went to look at it and gave it their thumbs up on our behalf, I started piecing together the floor plan by going through the pictures and working out how the rooms probably fit together. And THEN I found this totally awesome app on the ipad that I think is called "room planner" ( I don't have it in front of me). That allowed me to even put in the dimensions of the rooms and after much scrutinizing of pictures I finally had a floor plan ( minus the bathrooms and the closets in the extra bedrooms...I still havent figured out how they fit) that I think is basically what the house looks like.
Then once I had my floor plan, it looked rather empty. And this app JUST SO HAPPENED to let you put furniture into the rooms, and it let you change the dimensions of the furniture...and so that's how I ended up running around my house measuring all my furniture, and then inserting it into my make-believe house! Except this time it's supposedly real! Oh what fun!
Yes, lets just say that's how I spent Tabitha's feeding sessions for about two days straight! I'm definitely excited about a new house to get creative in! I realized that being an Army life has allowed me, in a much more practical, less fanciful, way live out my daydreams...in our five years of marriage we'll have moved 4 times not counting this move and each time I've had to piece together a new home, and I've loved it! Of course this time around I've got a toddler and a 2 month old to contend with so I think the love will be a little less pronounced. For instance, yesterday I had a baby sitter and Brett ( for a little while) at home and I STILL didnt get all the things I wanted to get done accomplished. Seriously. How in the WORLD do people get things done with two children?! Some moms even add work to the equation!! HOW?!?! HOWWWWWW!?! Luckily for me we'll have movers who will pack us and move our stuff otherwise I don't even think this move would be physically possible. Just getting basic prep done for the move is just about maxing me out. That being said, just 3 more weeks in Georgia!!
Here was the house when I was in the process of moving furniture around....stay tuned for the finish product...and hopefully the real thing ( as long as we survive!)!
( if you click on the plan, it should open up a bigger version, if you're curious)
February 07, 2013
Something about pride and falling...
Today I had to have a little repenting moment....A baptism if you will. And I say "baptism" because there was a lot of water involved. This was no sprinkling, we're talking a dunking.
Anyway, before I get too carried away in my metaphors, let me just say that I've now been a mother of two by myself for almost two weeks. I've had one or two really bad days, and a bad moment or two pretty much every day ( have I mentioned that Tabitha does not like to be put down when she's awake?! Yeah. Not cool...if anyone has any suggestions I'm all ears...she does not like the vibrating seat that Ransom so adored when he was her age...sigh). But all in all, we've made it unscathed. And I've even kept up a pretty basic routine. And so yesterday I was driving somewhere and I was looking at my clock thinking how I was going to be right on time to keep with my awesome schedule I'd created for myself, and I gave myself a major pat on the back...and then ( here comes the bad part) I started comparing myself to others. I thought about how totally awesome I was and that I was able to arrive to events on time and with two kids in tow, fully clothed, me looking ( sorta kinda) decent, and I thought, "man, I've got this parenting of two thing down pat!"
*side note: Lets not even get into the fact that, thanks to my wonderful mother-in-law and terrific friends I've hardly had to make a full meal by myself yet....also, my house...its not exactly what we'd call "clean"....but lets just forget that for the time being...
Then today, I was brought firmly down to earth when I decided to go to our library's storytime in a torrential down pour... As I was driving to the library in the pouring rain I realized that it was a baaad idea ( in fact, I had a hint that it was a bad idea when I was taking Ransom and Tabitha out to the car in stages...getting wetter and wetter as I went...), I started to visualize how we were going to get into the library and every scenario involved badness, yet my pride did not allow me to turn around...and sure enough, it was awful.
And by awful I mean, Tabitha in the stroller with a broken umbrella draped over her, an umbrella that became more and more broken with every new gust of wind, letting in more water....and then me trying to navigate said stroller with one hand while I held my heavy two year old and another umbrella in the other. Ransom kept slipping and the umbrella kept sliding and, well, it was horrible.
THEN once safely inside the library I figured we were through the worst, but wrong again...Tabitha, who is normally napping during the next hour and a half, had a dirty diaper and woke up crying. So, I grabbed her up, and took her and Ransom into the bathroom in the hopes that I could quickly change her before storytime started....
Hey, have you noticed that there is a healthy echo in public bathrooms?!? Well, THERE IS... and imagine a screaming infant objecting to her diaper change...and now add in a two year old who is objecting to the infant-screams by screaming himself....Yeah. I can imagine that the people clear on the other side of the library were hearing us.
But, we finally wrapped up the diaper experience and headed into story time ( where all the moms looked at me with a mix of horror/disgust and pity. By this time story time had started but Tabitha had NOT stopped crying. And then there was Ransom who was excited about singing the Wheels on the Bus, but who didn't want his mommy to leave the room with his screaming sister...lets just say we were the center of attention yet again....
Ok, that's enough. I'm done with this awful story, but basically the bottom line is that I am NOT a perfect mother of two. I have a LOT to learn, and above all, I must remember that there is no perfect parent and I must extend not only myself but ALL mommies a ton of grace.
Anyway, before I get too carried away in my metaphors, let me just say that I've now been a mother of two by myself for almost two weeks. I've had one or two really bad days, and a bad moment or two pretty much every day ( have I mentioned that Tabitha does not like to be put down when she's awake?! Yeah. Not cool...if anyone has any suggestions I'm all ears...she does not like the vibrating seat that Ransom so adored when he was her age...sigh). But all in all, we've made it unscathed. And I've even kept up a pretty basic routine. And so yesterday I was driving somewhere and I was looking at my clock thinking how I was going to be right on time to keep with my awesome schedule I'd created for myself, and I gave myself a major pat on the back...and then ( here comes the bad part) I started comparing myself to others. I thought about how totally awesome I was and that I was able to arrive to events on time and with two kids in tow, fully clothed, me looking ( sorta kinda) decent, and I thought, "man, I've got this parenting of two thing down pat!"
*side note: Lets not even get into the fact that, thanks to my wonderful mother-in-law and terrific friends I've hardly had to make a full meal by myself yet....also, my house...its not exactly what we'd call "clean"....but lets just forget that for the time being...
Then today, I was brought firmly down to earth when I decided to go to our library's storytime in a torrential down pour... As I was driving to the library in the pouring rain I realized that it was a baaad idea ( in fact, I had a hint that it was a bad idea when I was taking Ransom and Tabitha out to the car in stages...getting wetter and wetter as I went...), I started to visualize how we were going to get into the library and every scenario involved badness, yet my pride did not allow me to turn around...and sure enough, it was awful.
And by awful I mean, Tabitha in the stroller with a broken umbrella draped over her, an umbrella that became more and more broken with every new gust of wind, letting in more water....and then me trying to navigate said stroller with one hand while I held my heavy two year old and another umbrella in the other. Ransom kept slipping and the umbrella kept sliding and, well, it was horrible.
THEN once safely inside the library I figured we were through the worst, but wrong again...Tabitha, who is normally napping during the next hour and a half, had a dirty diaper and woke up crying. So, I grabbed her up, and took her and Ransom into the bathroom in the hopes that I could quickly change her before storytime started....
Hey, have you noticed that there is a healthy echo in public bathrooms?!? Well, THERE IS... and imagine a screaming infant objecting to her diaper change...and now add in a two year old who is objecting to the infant-screams by screaming himself....Yeah. I can imagine that the people clear on the other side of the library were hearing us.
But, we finally wrapped up the diaper experience and headed into story time ( where all the moms looked at me with a mix of horror/disgust and pity. By this time story time had started but Tabitha had NOT stopped crying. And then there was Ransom who was excited about singing the Wheels on the Bus, but who didn't want his mommy to leave the room with his screaming sister...lets just say we were the center of attention yet again....
Ok, that's enough. I'm done with this awful story, but basically the bottom line is that I am NOT a perfect mother of two. I have a LOT to learn, and above all, I must remember that there is no perfect parent and I must extend not only myself but ALL mommies a ton of grace.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)