it's just not in me to blog every day

i thought blogging would be easy to keep up with, but it's not. i don't understand how anyone can have the time to blog every day...if they have two toddlers running around the house. maybe that is why people post their status on facebook so often - it's a lot quicker to post one sentence and you can do it from anywhere with your phone! it's been a month since i have posted anything and too much has happened in that month to give a summary. i'll try and give some hightlights...

the boys have a new baby cousin in atlanta, Charlotte McLeod Sutherland, and michael and i went to visit her when she was a week and a half old. she is adorable and so much smaller than either of my boys ever were!..... henry turned TWO on October 18th. we did not have a party for him, but we took him around town to see family and we celebrated all day with him..... michael and i celebrated our 7th anniversary the day after henry's birthday...... i took the boys to the zoo by myself. it was fun, but pretty tough at times. i'm sure with practice it would get easier, but it's a lot more enjoyable to have someone else with me!

henry is talking all the time now. most everything is easy to understand, but he gets so frustrated if i don't know what he is saying. he loves everything about crawford and wants to do everything crawford is doing. with that being said, crawford now wants to play by himself a lot b/c henry doesn't always play the way he wants him to! henry has a little temper...a lot like mine. i am working on controlling mine more every day. some days i really fall off the wagon, but most days i can catch myself quick enough to lower my voice and change my tone. i can honestly tell it makes a difference to the boys. in our community group we are reading a book called "Loving Our Kids on Purpose", and it has been the perfect time for me to read this book. thank you Lord! His timing is amazing and never coincidental! As always, I think this book has some very profound messages in it, and one sticks with me right now. Love and Fear do not go together, therefore do not try and discipline your children out of fear or with threats. instead, love them all the time, even when they do wrong. obviously that doesn't mean i can let them do whatever they want to, but if i am loving them all the time with the way i talk to them and the way i interact with them, then they will notice and react accordingly. no matter what, our job as parents is to love our children and support them, not to mold them into what we think they should be.

my three boys

this was just a few hours ago. i love it b/c it is so michael to have both of his boys at the computer with him. eventhough he was letting them pick his games for the weekly brandonball pick, it was still a moment to be captured. i love all three of my boys!

you have to read this book

While we were in NC last weekend, I was able to finish a book that my friend, Pace Verner, had recommended to me. The book is "Same Kind of Different As Me", written by Denver Moore and Ron Hall. It is by far on the very tip top of my favorite book list. I will not go into any details, because I want YOU to read it. And just in case you need some more info before you go out and buy it... www.samekindofdifferentasme.com

Thanks, Pace, for knowing I would love this book!!

a weekend away

We are in Cashiers, N.C. this weekend at Michael's aunt and uncle's farm. A slice of heaven. Breathtaking views. The perfect getaway. We feel very blessed to be able to come here, and extremely thankful that they open up their home to family and friends. Mom and Dad came with us, and believe it or not, all six of us rode together in a minivan! (thanks to Nancy & Steve!) We stopped about five times, and I thought Dad was going to come out of his skin, but he held it together. I'm beginning to reconsider the "car potty" eventhough I'm not sure how well a three year old could aim.

The weather was perfect on Thursday when we arrived, so we immediately headed outside. Crawford only wanted to go to the gym, but we managed to get him interested in the pond, the swings, and picking apples! Henry was happy no matter what we were doing. And we continue to be amazed at the beauty of this place, the buildings, the grounds, the details in every little thing.

We had a scare at dinner Thursday night. We were having pasta with pesto sauce, and the boys started eating before the rest of us. The boys have eaten pesto several times, and their allergist has even said it was fine b/c they do not test positive for an allergy to pine nuts. Little did we know the pesto was made with walnuts. Within a couple of minutes of Crawford's first bite, he started making a terrible face and shuddering - the shuddering usually means he is going to throw up. So, we quickly took the pasta away from them, and took Crawford to the bathroom. He kept sticking his tongue out and was pretty pitiful. We were very worried about his tongue and throat swelling, but thankfully that never happened. He did throw up, and we did give him benadryl, but within about 15 minutes, he was feeling much better. And less than 30 minutes later, he was back at the table eating pasta with butter and parmesean cheese. Henry did not have a reaction at all. That was a major lesson in ingredient awareness. We can't be too careful.

I will be posting pictures later. Crawford loves the Gator, which he calls the tractor and they both love the small riding toys. I'm trying to take as many pictures as I can. And Mom and I have played two games of Scrabble with one win for each of us. I love being away this weekend. I have needed this for a long time, and I'm so thankful for it! I do wish that the rest of our family could have made this trip, it would be so fun for all the little cousins to be together. We miss Dakota, George, Hallie Corinne, and Porter and their parents, too!

sweet boys and prayer request

Today I worked for Dad and Mom kept the boys all day. She said they were angels, which makes me feel really good. I wish they were always angels, but I know that is not possible! Just like it's not possible for me to be an angel everyday! Michael will probably laugh out loud at that. And he has a right to do so :)

Henry says "OK" all the time. He says it instead of saying "yes", and I find it to be the cutest thing in the world. I know they get everything from us, and I have noticed how much I say "OK", but it is precious how he says it for everything.

Crawford has a new saying, "If you like it, don't eat it. If you don't like it, eat it." I don't know where that came from, but he really does say it all the time. And I got to hear Crawford's laughter while Michael was putting him to bed. I love that sound, and I believe that is one of my traits that thankfully was passed to him.

Today, I have a major prayer on my heart for the Meyers' family. Their daughter, Emmeline, is sick and they don't know exactly what is wrong with her. I am praying that God will lead them to some doctors that can figure it out. And I pray for their whole family to have strength to make it through another minute. Let alone another day. And I thank God for keeping them in his hands and for making their faith stronger.

accidental day at the mall

We headed out of the house without a plan today. And we ended up dropping my car off for a much overdue oil change in Cool Springs. "Michael's Taxi Service" picked us up and dropped us off at the mall. I thought we would only be there an hour, but one turned into two, and two turned into three. After some great playtime at the soft jungle gym we headed over the the mechanical cars that you have to pay to make them move. Each one was 75 cents and I only had three quarters in my possession...so I tried to get the boys to ride in it together which didn't work at all! Henry got the two minute ride in a Richard Scarry car with the worm next to him. I just realized that I kept calling it a caterpillar - oh well. This made Crawford very upset b/c I didn't have any money left. Thankfully he got over quickly. Then we were off to stroll the mall. It was extremely hard to keep Crawford in the stroller especially when he can get out of it on his own. For some reason, I put the wooden "spanking" spoon in my purse today, and that came in very handy. I didn't have to use it, but the threat and the sight of it was enough. I'm not sure how we survived almost three hours in the mall, but I know by the end of it, I was in a complete sweat. I finally called to see if my car was ready and it was...who knows how long it had been ready...it would have been nice of them to call me. Then I called Michael to see if he could come and get us, and he had just sat down to eat. Oh what perfect timing. I didn't think I could last another minute until I remembered the carousel! Both boys really loved it and I even got a short video of it. Upon picking Henry up to set him on the ride, I realized he needed a new diaper asap. I tried changing it in my lap in a chair in the mall (bathrooms were way way way too far away) and just when I thought I had done it, I ripped off one of the velcro tabs. It was the only diaper I had...why would I need more than one? While I was holding Henry in my lap, Crawford got out of the stroller and looked in his bag for a pull-up, but of course there were none. So, I pulled Henry's shorts up and made it as secure as I could. We were lucky this time. No leakage before I was able to get a new one on him.

The experience as a whole was pretty good. I had to wrangle Crawford in a few times before he jumped on the escalator, and we rode the elevator several times b/c that is the only way a double stroller can make it from one floor to the other. My lessons learned today are: 1. always bring more than one diaper 2. potty train Henry asap 3. it's ok to leave the house without a plan, but be prepared to roll with whatever happens 4. i do not lose my temper in public 5. i will not raise my voice in public (unless they are in danger) 6. it is exhausting taking two children to the mall by yourself

two hours

I don't know anyone that can spend two hours in the grocery. Except me. Today, I did it with two rambunctious boys. I did not a have a list...in my hand. My list was in my purse with several coupons that I intended to use, but it was way up in the cart and the boys were between me and the cart! I always start in the produce section and right in the middle of that, Crawford had to go to the bathroom. The bathroom is located on the other end of the grocery. Then I decide to navigate the grocery backwards and that is not easy. Halfway through our shopping, Crawford has to go again. The only thing that saved me were the abundance of samples that were being handed out b/c we all know that if my boys are eating, they are happy. I wonder where they got that from?

I learned several things from today's grocery experience: 1. don't take both boys to the grocery unless it is for 10 items or less 2. don't grocery shop on Monday mornings b/c that is when all stay-at-home moms choose to shop 3. don't let the boys drink before or during a grocery trip, and finally 4. toddlers are a lot smarter than we give them credit for.

This past weekend we enjoyed having Allen, Emily, Dakota and George over to watch football and eat dinner. Allen and Michael were the only ones that got to watch the game, but I am OK with that. For some reason, since we have had children, I don't care as much about "watching" the games as I used to. I guess that is b/c I can't unless they are asleep, and if they are asleep, there are other things that I would rather do. On Sunday, Michael went to the Titans game after church and I stayed home with the boys all day. I feel some "emily" time coming in the near future!

Our church started a new series yesterday on Genesis and the first message was incredible! If you are interested in it, go to www.fbctn.com to listen, watch or download it.

The quietness in my house right now is wonderful, eerie, but wonderful.

friday nights

Friday nights aren't what they used to be. In my perfect world, it would be our date night. Instead it usually ends up being all four of us grabbing a quick bite somewhere and praying we make it through dinner without Henry having a meltdown or Crawford running laps around the restaurant. Fortunately we can control Crawford's running (for the most part), but Henry's tantrums we cannot. Tonight was pretty good......I won't bore you with the details.



The one detail that I love from today was Crawford's question about the rain. "Mommy, why did God make it rain again today?" Of course I wasn't prepared and responded with a jumbled answer about how God knew someone needed the rain and so He was giving it to them. Then he said "Can we go up in an airplane tomorrow and go up in the sky and ask God to not do that again?" With this answer I changed directions and started talking about how hard it would be to find a plane to take us up into the sky. That got a great conversation started about where planes live and on and on it went.



Henry's sweetness today was the kisses that he was giving. He is really good at it right now...he puckers up like a fish and goes for it. I can't get enough of them! And he is talking so much now. Some things we cannot decipher, but most of it is very clear. He pronounces Crawford "Crawker" which is exactly how Hallie Corinne pronounced it when Crawford was born. And he says "Borgie" for Georgie and "Borge" for his cousin, George!



I did lose my patience a little bit this morning, but I started to talk out loud to God to help me through it, and I really do believe that helped! Our community group is going to read and study the book Loving Our Kids on Purpose this semester, and I'm hoping it will teach me a thing or two. I haven't even bought it yet, but when I start reading it, I will let you know what I'm learning.

it's a challenge

Literally, this is a challenge given to me by my Community Group leader, Scott Moore. Last night at our first cg meeting of the semester he challenged all of us to write down at least one thing each day about our children. At least I think that is what he asked us to do...it could've been just a thought from the day, but either way I'm making a brave attempt at not only a daily journal, but starting a blog at the same time! I know myself very well, and I will not post something everyday, but I am going to try and jot something down everyday and then post it here when I can.


This blog comes at a major turning point in our lives. Tomorrow is my last day working for my dear friend, Bubba Miller, whom I've been working for at his new business since the day it opened (June 2008). Although that isn't a long time, the reason it is a big deal is b/c I have been a working mom since Crawford was about 8 weeks old. Since Henry was born I have been a part-time working mom, but that has proven to be just as hard if not harder than working full time. There are several reasons why I decided to come home, but the main reason is that God has been telling me for the greater part of this year that He wants me to be at home. And eventhough I'm saying I made this decision, it was actually Bubba who set the plan into motion. He desperately needed someone full time and he knew it wasn't going to be me!

Today's events might not be the best to start with, but I might as well make this blog as honest as it can be. The fact is, it was an ugly day from many perspectives. It rained most of the day. I thought it would be fun for the boys to play in the rain, but neither one of them wanted to wear the cute rain boots I bought them and Crawford wanted to wear his raincoat from last year that is supposed to be Henry's now. As the day wore on my patience wore thin, and the the ugly part of me came out. I seem to get to a point where I can't handle the disobedience and utter lack of self control of my 3 and almost 2 year old boys. I also lose sight of the fact that they are just 3 and almost 2. I start talking to them like they are teenagers, or what I think it must be like to talk to teenagers. And then I have overwhelming guilt set in. The kind where I think about how I am forming them to be the adults that they will one day grow up to be. And I don't want them to be impatient or quick to anger. What I really want is for them to be like their dad. Michael is the most patient and even-tempered person I know. This is one of the obvious reasons God put us together. I just wish he could be at home with me all the time...to help me be the parent that God wants me to be. But I know that God is sufficient in teaching me how to do this on my own. I just need to take better notes when Michael is home!