All knowing -

that would be Meredith.  Or Meredith Grace as she is known (and LOVED) at school. ( There are 2 little girls named Meredith in her class so our Meredith goes by Meredith Grace.  She is the most popular girl at school... or so she will tell you.) Her best friends at school are Carson and Jacob.  Carson "went to the mountains" last week and Jacob "throwed up", so MG was a little lost at school because they were gone.    She is so excited because this week they are celebrating 100s day at school.  Last week, she got to have a pajama day, including the fun of bringing a stuffed animal friend.  She has learned to read and is taking every book she can get her hands on by STORM.   If only I had known when I was a kindergartner to cherish every moment.  It was about SO much more than glue and coloring.  It really is where you become... ALL KNOWING!!!  

Tired boys

Daddy came home from a trip... and was tired. 

Michael is just getting over a cold... and is tired.  

Such a sweet picture of my guys.

Forgetting

Some days, I forget how blessed I am.  Some days, it doesn't occur to me how blessed I am to be able to read and walk and see and smell.  Other days, I distance myself from the blessing of my healthy children and the love and provision from my dear husband.  I have learned (from the Bible Study I am participating in) over the last week that my general tendency is to turn irritation into tribulation.  I allow things like having to wait into something much more serious.  And the truth is, I don't need to!  Waiting for something or someone is not the same as suffering, and yet I am so prone to equate the two.   I am blessed beyond words, and there are days that I just forget that.

The weekends that our family is all home together are just the best.  We are a complete US and I love it.  I make due when we aren't all together (because I have to!), but it absolutely thrills me when we are all at the table eating together, or laughing together over a movie, or all in the van going somewhere, or the laundry basket is completely full.  These are moments that I cherish.

This afternoon, the big girls and I went over to the store "Justice" to spend their Christmas money.  It was a fun hour spent in the store trying on outfits and seeing the differences between the two of them.  Maddie got a cute shirt and a CD, Marky got 2 cute sweaters.  We went next door to Gymboree and found a couple of things for the little ones.  It was a fun, fun time.

Tomorrow is a church day - we haven't been to church together as a family in a long time.  It will be a blessing that I WON'T forget being there all together.    

Four

As you can see from the pile of toys sitting at the bottom of the stairs, Michael has "graduated" to big-boy toys.  He no longer squeals about everything Lightning McQueen and Mater as we make our way around Target.  He has requested that the "Cars" posters in his room be replaced with Batman or SpiderMan.  It's really hard for me to believe that he is growing out of his toddler-hood, into being a little boy. I love being with him, talking about boy-stuff and playing his boy-games.  In fact, on Sunday evening, he decided that he was so grown up that he grabbed Daddy's razor and "shaved" his upper lip.  The tiny razor cut took 45 minutes to stop gushing.  Hopefully he doesn't try his hand at that again until he really needs it... I just hope that I'm ready for it when the time comes.  I know the time will go by quickly.  I wonder if I'll ever be ready for that day.  Maybe I'll just keep him my little boy forever. 

Matchy Matchy

Marky and Meredith are thrilled that they have matching jammmies.  Such cute sister-love. 

Nothing much is going on...

at least here at our house, nothing much is going on.  It's hard to hear about all of the suffering in Haiti, the jobs lost in our city, the pain and turmoilof so many.  I can only do so much, I can only hear so much. There are days when it's just too overwhelming to think about.  So, I go get my nails done, or run into Target to sort of escape the reality that life hurts and hardship is constantly knocking on our doors.  When it's all around me, I get depressed, worried, anxious.  So, I have to pray which isn't a bad thing.  It's great to have things that turn me to the Father.  I forget that I can turn to Him in gratitude and thanksgiving as well.  Somedays I only turn to Him for help. Its always a wonderful thing to just come into the Lord's presence for rest and peace.  I don't do it enough.

Michael has been sick with a fever for the past few days.  I don't know what is causing the fever, but he most certainly isn't himself.  I am wondering and worried.  If it continues, we will take a trip to the doctor.

I was given the most awesome opportunity to speak for MOPS 2 times this week.  It is one of my favorite organizations, AND one of my favorite things to do.  I love encouraging mothers and I love expounding on what God is teaching me.  It is rewarding to have a MOPS coordinator call me and ask what I can speak on... "Well, I am learning this right now" I say... it's so timely and so applicable.  I get to speak from my heart and from what is current in my home.  I pray that I am humble and approachable and easy to listen to.  I never want to come to them from a place of arrival, but I want to show them that I am talking to them from my experiences as recent as the day before.  I hope for many more opportunities.  It is such a 2-way blessing!  

Last night, I went out for drinks with a neighbor of mine.  She called to say that she and a few of her girlfriends were getting together, would I come, , and I just said YES!!!  I was nervous because I've only ever just chatted with her at the mail box, but I was feeling a little "Friend-lonely", and so I thought, "well, what the heck!!  I"ll go."  I was excited and anxious all in one, but it turned out to be a fun night.  We weren't out that late (not like with my regular girlfriends) but it was fun to meet some new gals and have a margarita.

Today was the first Saturday since about Halloween that didn't have many plans.  I slept in a little, and just enjoyed taking it easy.  Meredith had a birthday party and while she was there I went to my favorite yarn shop.  Boy, it was a delightful couple of hours.  Yarn and fibers filled my thoughts as my imagination went to all of the projects that I could make.  Then I cam back to reality and just bought enough to make 2 things.  I've never made anything that really took a long time.  Maybe one shawl (it didn't turn out that great), but I'm excited to make this lap blanket.  There was a sample made up in the shop - soft, confy, beautiful.  I think that it's a project I will be able to handle.  I can't wait to start it!!!

Meredith has taken up the habit of biting her fingernails.  UUUGGGGHHH.  Of all of the gross habits that kids could have, this is one of the MOST gross ones for me.  BLECK.  I have told her that if she will stop this I will buy her a new pair of shoes.  What girl in her right mind would rather chew on her fingers instead of getting a new pair of shoes????  I have told her she can have ANY shoes that she wants!  She is on board... for the most part... she had a minor setback last week.  Today she asked me if I would reward her with shoes if her toenails were long.  OH, shes' a smart cookie, that girlie.

So, really, not much is going on.  Just life.  And it's a good life.  Praise Jesus.  He cares for us all and keeps us all going.  If it weren't for the HOPE that I have in HIM, I don't know where I would be.  January... sigh... at least it doesn't last forever.    

Today brought...

• kids woke up happy and we had a very easy morning
• last week of Bible Study
• wonderful breakfast at Bible Study
• great friends at Bible Study
• a little nap
• clean kitchen
• daddy came home after being gone for 9 days
• happy kids (mostly because of the above)
• supper is in the crock-pot; it's Daddy's special day so I fixed him something yummy and "homey"
• laundry mostly done
• 30 minutes to myself
• a few hours of sunshine
• a returning hair client from a while ago
• the feeling that I can "let down" since Patrick is home
• thankful, thankful, thankful

Tonight, it's Maddie's turn

Patrick has been out of town since last Monday.  That doesn't mean, however, that his side of the bed has been empty.  The first couple of nights, the little ones slept with me because their bedrooms were so cold.  Even with space heaters, in seems like the unisulated second story bedrooms just are frigid.  This also could be an excuse so I don't have to admit that I was lonely. My big girls have been away from home for 4 nights and nearly 5 days.  An eternity in mama hours.  They came home safe and sound, but tired and really needing some TLC.  It is a deficiency that will take a few days to make up.  We started the make up process with a special McDonalds picnic for dinner, and closed down the night with lots of hugs and kisses. Tonight, Maddie is snuggling up in bed with me - she needed a turn, and even with a king size bed, she's pretty close to me.  My heart is nearly satisfied knowing  all 4 kiddos are home.  Now we just need to get daddy back home.  A few more days and that will happen.

JoAnn made me do it

Yesterday afternoon I had a few errands to run, and in typical fashion Michael fell asleep in the car.  That was fine, except for the fact that I had planned on stopping at Joann's Fabrics to look at patterns.  How was I going to do that?  I said to myself" Oh, that will be easy - he will be asleep and I can just carry him in and sit and thumb through the pattern books."  Mistake after mistake was made in that one thought.  First off, nothing is easy with a sleeping kid in a giant puffy coat... nothing.  Secondly, I momentarily forgot that Michael is the BIGGEST BEAR when he wakes up. Not just a typical bear, but a snarling, grumpy, horrible, screaming bear.  Without listening to that inner mama voice that makes sense, I instead listened to the inner crazy voice that said that everything would turn out fine.  Oh my goodness... should have paid more attention to voice #1.  So, we get into JoAnns, and he's starting to wake up.  I'm moving slowly, carefully, trying not to cause too much sleep disturbance.  I sit down and open the pattern books and it all went to pieces.  Michael starts crying, and crying, and crying some more.  Yelling, sniffeling.  It was awful.  So awful that it... made... me...CURSE... at my son.  I was shocked at myself, and even though Michael did not know the severity of what I said, I think he caught my drift because HE looked shocked.  Unless my memory is wrong, this is a first for me.  I try not to get pushed to this limit too often.  (Oh, who am I fooling... at least not in public I don't get pushed this far.)  But even when I AM pushed, I just don't typically use naughty words, especially with my kids.  Fortunately, the shock of the moment caused him to settle down a little bit and I was able to find a pattern that I wanted.  It brought to light for me that I really need to not be stretched so thin that one little (or big) tantrum by my child in a fabric store could bring me such a place of extreme frustration.   It felt awful to be so fed up.  I hope it was not only a first, but a last. 

Just hear those sleigh bells jingling...

We went on a sleigh ride on Sunday.

It was wintry and blissful.

We went to a place called Beaver Meadows

 with my mom and dad

to experience a fun, snowy afternoon.

We rode in a one-horse-open-sleigh,

sang a couple of tunes,

drank some HOT chocolate and ate some yummy cookies,

made a couple of paper crafts,

and best of all created some wonderful memories. 

We hope to repeat them year after year after year.

Happy Night

My big girls and I are sitting on the couch, in our"new" old  living room, watching "Gilmore Girls".  It's making me happy.  They are really into it and I love that.  They are laughing and talking and commenting and staying up much later than they should, but we are having a nice time.  The little ones are in bed, and Marky and Maddie are leaving us for 4 days; I think that I'm trying to squeeze out the most of the best from the time that we have left before they leave town.  It's a happy night indeed.

Another party

We have finished the season of parties with a bash at Chucke Cheese.  We went there with Grandma and Poppop Oman and our friends, the Sealanders.  Birthday presents, toy prizes, 4 pizzas and 300 tokens later, we all left the place full and happy.  Michael was thrilled with all of the shooting games, truck rides, and activities with balls.  He dragged his special pal MiKayla around the place, inserting tokens into things that he really had no intention of playing, just because he could!  It was another very successful birthday, and now we have a break until late spring on the birthday front.  That's good, because even I am a little partied out!!! 

Happy Birthday Michael!!!

Today is Michael's 4th birthday. I am so in love with my little guy. It has been the best thing over the past 4 years to be escorted deep into the world of boys. Cars and trucks, guns and dinosaurs, blue and blue, so much noise and constant movement. Michael has graduated from his loyatly to Lightning McQueen and Mater, and is instead fascinated by all things Transformer and Batman. He loves firetrucks, police cars, ambulances and can spot an 18 wheeler before I can say the word "truck". His love for his dogs and his daddy are matched by his passion for his "once-pink" blankie and his friends Giovanni and Xalen. Over the past year he has developed quite the repertoire of sound effects and is always blowing things up or shooting someone with his vibrating lips. The joy of my life is when he says "Mama - you look pretty". I do believe he means it. We're pretty happy with each other. I love you, baby boy. Happy Birthday!

Happy New Year

As most people are doing today, I've been thinking about the new year ahead. Over the past couple of days I had formed some thoughts about what I want the year 2010 to be like. Some words came to mind. Patience, discipline, flexibility, humility, and the biggie for me, ACCEPTANCE. This is where I am going to focus my energies and prayers this year. ACCEPTING what is. If I can find victorious living with this one area, the others will fall into place. ACCEPTANCE won't come without connection to the Lord. It will not happen without steadfast prayer, intentional obedience, and transformed thinking (Romans 12:1-2). But, as I walk each day, ACCEPTING what today is and brings, I know that I will turn the corner and run straight into contentment, the companion to ACCEPTANCE. Glory! Bring on the day.