Sixteen

Sixteen more days of school.  I'm so ready for summer, and lazy mornings, and evenings outside.
We went to the park the other night with some friends and it just made me long for summer even more.  The kids love the park playground but also love the creek that runs behind the park.  It's brimming with tadpoles right now.

 Looking for tadpoles

Two of the ones  they caught

 Pointing out the rabbits in the field

Just sixteen more days.....

Creative Laziness

I would never call my children lazy.  But occasionally they do have a funny way of getting out of work.

The other day I asked Bailey to go upstairs and pick up the playroom.  She said she was just too tired to climb the stairs.  I made her do it anyway.  Five minutes later Skylar came downstairs and said, "Did you know Bailey is asleep on the stairs?"

Poor kid wasn't kidding.  She really was too tired to climb the stairs.  Or else she just REALLY didn't want to clean the playroom. 

Last week I went to use the bathroom downstairs and saw this:

Rather than actually replace the toilet paper, Reagan just set it on top of the counter.  And in case you weren't sure what that roll was, she labeled it:

My kids crack me up!

Pretty much...

This is how I feel today:

Mom

I posted some pictures from Easter on facebook and a friend from Virginia commented on one.  She said, "I remember when all you wanted was to be a mama.  Now look at you."

The comment nearly brought me to tears.  It's true.  It's all I've ever wanted.  I remember asking my mom for years and years if she would give me a baby brother or sister.  I told her that I would take care of the baby and she wouldn't need to do anything.  (sounds more like I was asking for a puppy huh?) :) I didn't understand that it wasn't "possible" for my mom to have any more babies.  I just knew that I wanted a baby of my own so badly.

I started babysitting at the ripe old age of 9.  Yes, 9.  By 14 I was a full fledged nanny during the summer months.  At 16 I had a little girl I watched so much that she called me "mama." As much as I enjoyed it, I had to teach her to call me something else.  I was the first face she saw in the morning, and the last she saw at night. I witnessed her first steps, and heard her first words.  I loved her like my own but it broke my heart.  I knew her mom was missing out.  It was through that experience that I decided I would do whatever I had to in order to stay home with my kids.  I was blessed to marry someone with the same ideals.

It was only two years after we were married when we had Reagan.  I remember holding her for the first time.  Besides the flood of emotion that comes with any normal delivery, I was also overwhelmed with the realization that I was finally a mom.  I didn't have to give her back.  Even as we were leaving the hospital two days later Brian suggested we stop at Babies R Us to get some preemie stuff and I said "Is it ok to do that?" He responded, "She's ours.  We can do whatever we want." :)

Now, almost 8 years later, I know I'm doing exactly what God wants me to do.  It doesn't make each day easy or filled with rainbows, unicorns or cupcakes with sprinkles.  But even on the days where I feel like locking myself in the closet for some peace and quiet, I cling to the knowledge that our sacrifices are not in vain.  There are plenty of things I'm not, but I know that being a mom was a desire placed by God and fulfilled by Him alone.  And "He who began a good work will be faithful to complete it."

I also know that God placed an incredible example in my life as my own mom.  She amazes me with her quiet strength, her love, selflessness, and sense of humor.  She is a blessing to me and my girls are incredibly lucky to have her as their "yaya." 

(yes, I know we match....and we didn't even plan it)

Thank you mom for being a Christ-like, shining example in my life and in the lives of my girls.  

Happy Mother's Day!

Mud

I finally backed up our computer and deleted a bunch of files so I could download new pics.  I know you've been waiting on the edge of your seats. :)

For Skylar and Bailey's birthdays my mom asked if she could get the girls a sand and water table.  At first I said no.  We've had a sand and water table before.  I know what happens.  The sand doesn't stay on the sand side.  The water doesn't stay on the water side.  It turns into a mud table.

I don't mind fun messes, but I wasn't too keen on the idea of mud being tracked through the house.

But she convinced me that it would be so much fun for the girls, so I caved.

She was right.  It is fun.  They love it.

But I was right too.  It's a mess.

A big, muddy mess.  

But such a fun mess!

Who needs the beach when you have this in your backyard?

Thanks mom! :)

One weekend.

Having just finished the Easter weekend, I can't help but be introspective about it.  It's humbling to remember that He did it for me.  That kind of love is just unfathomable.

I've been thinking a lot about what that Friday must have been like.  I know it didn't feel like a "Good Friday" to those that loved and followed Jesus back then.  What sorrow they must have felt. What defeat.

That Saturday could not have been any better.  Even though the "worst" was over, they were still reeling from the tragedy of the day before.  They didn't know that Sunday was coming.  But it did!

That weekend continues to play out in our daily lives.  Maybe you've just endured a Friday.  The sky is black and you feel hopeless.  Or maybe you're in the midst of a Saturday.  Reality is sinking in and you're desperate for good news.  Rest assured, Sunday is coming.

"Sorrow may last for a night, but joy comes in the morning." Psalm 30:5

We do all the baskets and eggs and chocolate bunnies and pretty dresses, but our girls know why we celebrate Easter (in the most age appropriate way of course).  As a child I used to wonder why we didn't get a bunch of gifts on Easter, like we did on Christmas.  They were both "Jesus" holidays, so why does one get more attention and hoopla than the other?

As an adult, I've realized that Easter IS the biggest gift.  There's no way we could top it.  We need to just accept it, and be grateful.  How can you compete with grace?

In college as an RA, I had a student that had a plaque over her dorm room door.  It read:

"Good morning! This is God.  

Don't worry, I've already taken care of today.  

Please don't go messing it up by trying to do things yourself."

I imagine that God would add to that by saying, "By the way....I've got tomorrow covered too."

It's a good reminder for each of us. Don't worry.  But I still do.

I was worried about the girls getting into the charter school we wanted.  The week before the lottery I called to find out the exact date we would hear anything and they informed me that there were absolutely no openings in third grade.  That meant Reagan would be wait-listed regardless of the lottery.

We discussed a bunch of different scenarios if Skylar got in and Reagan did not: homeschooling, two different schools next year, taking her out mid-year if there was an opening, etc. etc. etc.  Then we prayed.

The day of the lottery we got a phone call from the school administrator.  She said "Just calling to let you know that we have a spot for Skylar in the Fall!" I started screaming and jumping up and down (in true girl fashion).  Then she went on to say, "And we've decided to make room for Reagan and increase the class size by one so that she can come here too." That's when I lost it.  Tears of joy.

God knew.  He had already taken care of it.

Why do we worry?

I know, I know...we're human.  We try but we fail again and again.  But that's ok.  God knows that too.

 Today, I'm just thankful for grace and the promise of Sunday.

Friday Funnies

It's been a while and I've been terrible at writing down the funny things the girls have been saying.
But here are a few that I DID remember (if you know me on facebook, some of these will look familiar):

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Reagan overheard me talking to a friend about her 14 year old niece making poor choices. Reagan said, "what kind of poor choices is she making?"
I said, "Well, she's spending too much time with boys."
Reagan said, "Oh! Like playdates?!"
Ha! Love her innocence.
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At Skylar's 5 year well child visit, the pediatrician asked her, "Do you know some of your letters Skylar?" In a very serious (and blatantly sarcastic) tone, she said, "Um, yah. I know how to read."
(Then of course the Dr. asked her what her favorite food was and she said 'hot dogs.' We never eat hot dogs!)
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Reagan and Skylar were watching the lizards in our backyard one afternoon.  They do this funky "push up" move that always cracks the girls up.  Skylar said, "I wonder why they do that." Reagan answered (very matter of factly), "I bet it's because it's mating season.  He's working out to attract the females." OMG! Animal Planet is officially banned now! :)
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Skylar was setting the table the other night for dinner and she gave Bailey a fork that Bailey didn't like.  She started whining that she wanted a princess fork and Skylar looked right at her and said, "You're three now Bailey.  It's time you learn how things work around here.  I get the forks.  You don't complain.  Got it?"
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We were at Costco and decided to grab lunch at their food court.  There was no one in line when we got there but after we sat down with our food the line started backing up.  My mom said, "Wow, we got here at the right time. Look at all these people now."  Reagan said, "Yep. Must be happy hour."
(I wondered how in the world she knew about happy hour, but realized later that Sonic has a happy hour).
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I was doing my hair one morning and Reagan walked into the bathroom.  She said "What smells like bologna?" Then she got closer to me and said, "Oh! It's you.  Well, not you, but your hair stuff.  Now I'm hungry."  Note to self....stop using that leave in conditioner. :)
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Bailey was out in the garden with me last week and remarked, "Mommy, we're growing weed in our garden."
Me: "WeedSSSS, baby.  WeedZZZZ."
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I was reading upstairs and Reagan walked into my room.  She said, "If you see something outside, it's just daddy.  He's really good at getting high!" (Which is even funnier considering the comment above! Don't worry, he was just hitting golf balls!).
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We were at Reagan's school one morning and I saw one of her classmates.  I said, "Look Ray, there's Carson.  He's such a sweet boy."  She replied, "He's more boy than he is sweet.  He makes disgusting noises with his hand in his armpit." Ha! Gotta love growing up with just girls. :)
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I was pulling weeds in the backyard yesterday and Skylar asked if she could help.  After about ten minutes of her helping, she said, "Ok, I'm done helping.  I'm going back to being a kid again." :)
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After pulling weeds I came in and made pasta with spinach. While Bailey was eating, she said, "Mommy, did you put the weeds in our pasta?"
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We were running at the park one afternoon and Bailey needed to go potty.  All they had were port-a-potties, and Bailey said she was too scared to use one.  So Skylar told her, "Don't be afraid Bailey.  The Bible says 'don't be scared because God is always with us.'"  I was overwhelmed with pride until she said, "So stop being such a crybaby and get over it!"

Have a great weekend!