Can I get an Epidural?

I think that when the baby is 10 years old, the mom should get another chance at that epidural. 

And then again at 13. 

And maybe one more chance before the little chick flies completely away.

Growing pains.  Those sharp stabs that cause discomfort and pain.  Every day there seems to be a new place in mothering that I run into one of these.  Places where I doubt and question everything I am doing. Dark spots where it seems impossible that anything good could come of things.  

But growth means good things are coming, right?  Around the corner maybe?  If I just hang on? 

Days like today, where I feel like everything went wrong, I tend to forget that we usually get things right.  My short term memory lapses and I slip away into a foggy place where parenting feels hopeless.  A place where failure and insult knock loudly at the door.  It's in these places where that epidural would come in handy.  Something to numb those pains of growth. 

In spite of these pains, I know that growth usually means that something great is about ready to bloom and with enough time, and patience, (and a little bit of wine and chocolate) we will uncover something new. And even when some days bomb, I must remember that there is mercy that is new each morning.   Mercy that might feel a little bit like an epidural. 



PS - School starts back up in 10 days.  Can I get an AMEN?

Perfectly Imperfect

The thing about summer that I am embracing is that most days are just perfectly imperfect.  There are messes, there are arguments, there are tantrums, there are mistakes, there are blowups, there are missteps.  And in all of these, we have the chance and the opportunity to make something beautiful out of something not-so-beautiful.  This summer, I decided on  Proverbs 15:15 to be our theme verse.  The girls and I are all on Instagram (#awesome!!) so we even developed hashtags for our summer verse.  The verse is all about whether you want to choose to be miserable OR whether you want to choose to be cheerful.  Every day, its a choice, And you get exactly what you choose.  The best part is that because of grace,  you can always change your mind.  It's been such a good reminder about the power that we have to take our "imperfectness" and be okay with it.  To recognize when we've hurt someone and ask forgiveness; to realize that we've overdone it in an area and so we make a u-turn; to clean up a misunderstanding with a friend; to show compassion to a family member who might not deserve it.

 Summer is just a short story of the year.  It's story that each one of us is contributing to.  One that is ever-changing and completelly unpredicatable.   It has chapters that are full of adventure, interesting characters, twists and turns, ups and downs.  From beginning to end, it is a story of love, laughter, and most of all the Lord's faithfulness. I'm grateful to be one of the quirkiest characters in our story.

 #choosecheerful

 

 

recap

ENJOYING : time alone AND time with friends 

WATCHING : this movie   - Just such a great one!!

DRINKING: yummy coffee and delicious Sangria.  This was the best recipe!!

DOING: gardening, working in the yard, making a birthday cake, planning a birthday party.

READING : "The Forgotten Seamstress" and "Ordinary Grace"

STUDYING : "Fight Back with Joy"... again.  This study was so wonderful the first time that I did it and I just wanted to ruminate a little bit more in it.  So I bought another book and I'm watching the videos again. It's so worth it.  

EATING : While my family has been gone, I've eaten pasta.  and more pasta!!  It's not everyone's favorite thing around here, but it IS mine!  SO....I cooked it for myself 3 times since everyone has been away :). 

MISSING : All of my peeps.  Truly!  Three of them are on their way home right now, and the big girls have 5 days left on their trip.

 It's been wonderful to have some time "off" but I'm ready to get back to work.   I am meant to be  the mama and the wife, the keeper of the details, the leader of this pack.  It's my calling and my purpose and... turns out it's also my joy.  It's where my heart is, it's where my passion is, and since we've all been apart my heart has grown fonder of all of the little birdies in my nest.  Now it's time to get back together and get this summer party started.   

AND...

Today is our little brown-eyed girl's birthday.  Meredith Grace is 11 today.  She is absolutely the life of our family.  She is funny, bright, has the biggest dreams, and we couldn't be more delighted to celebrate her today. 

Happy Birthday, my darling little one.