Joke

Without explaining to Makayla, I threw away a couple of her ponytail holders in the bathroom garbage can because they were getting too stretched out to use. Well, everytime I've gone into the bathroom today, the toilet paper has been sitting on the floor behind the toilet (yucky). I couldn't figure out how or why until she finally fessed up and said that she keeps putting the toilet paper back there because she is playing a joke on me since I played a joke on her when I threw her ponytail holders in the garbage.

Calm In Your Heart

makayla and mason ~

life is filled with hardship, struggles, sadness, heartbreak, and pain.

it is also filled with beauty, happiness, magic, miracles, and joy.

 your biggest worries right now in your little lives are trying to put a pair of tights on and struggling with the pain of molars coming through your baby gums.

i hope that as you get older and you begin to experience anything other than the good of this life that you will always be able to find peace within your heart.

how you get there, or whatever it is that helps you get there, is up to you.

 i want you to always be able to remember a feeling of love, appreciate and be thankful for all that you have, and focus on that.

life is good.

very good.

but it's up to you to be able to see and feel that.

mommy, daddy, and everybody else that loves you, are here every second of every day to mold you, guide you, and teach you how to love

...and hopefully one day you'll be able to learn on your own how to find peace amongst the chaos - to be calm in your heart.

love, mommy

Sis

This is "sis". 

Most of Makayla's baby's names are Addie, but she has a few that she calls Sis.  I call Makayla sis a lot, short for sister, so I think she has just picked up on that and calls a few of her babys "sis".

Tonight as Makayla was finishing up her bath she was telling me that sis was in her belly.  I would respond with an "uh huh" and she kept repeating that sis was in her belly.  Even though fearing the answer I was going to get, my curiousity urged me to finally asked her how sis was going to get out of her belly.

She said the hospital was going to rip her out. 

I asked her if that was going to hurt and she looked at me as if she felt sorry for me, like she didn't mean to scare me. She shook her head and in such a caring, adult voice said "No, it doesn't hurt.  It's just like how your hospital ripped Mason out of your belly".

I can't help but smile at the way her mind works, thinking that babies are painlessly just ripped out of bellies.

He's Learning From The Best Of 'Em

Makayla was eating her third cookie last night when Kevin told her that if she eats one more then she is going to turn into a cookie.  She carefully set her cookie down on the table and started to cry.  She said that she didn't want to turn into a cookie because then she wouldn't have any hands.

 Tonight, as Makayla was going to the bathroom, she excitedly calls me into the bathroom.  She was screaming and giggling the entire time it took me to get there.  When I walked into the bathroom, her little body was folded in on itself where just her smiling face and feet were sticking out of the toilet.  She was so excited because her butt was touching the water!  Eww.  Gross. 

Right now, Mason isn't quite old enough to provide the humor in the household that his older sister does, so while Makayla is being goofy, he sits there being his beautiful little self, with a smile on his face, taking it all in...learning from the best of 'em!

Oh, how I love my babes!

It's a good life.

Responsibility Chart

Look what we have!
(given to Makayla by Brenda)

A Responsibility Chart!

It comes with 25 chores and responsibilities.

...and what I really like about it is that it includes traits that we all need to possess to successfully make it through life:

No Teasing 

Apologize

Show Respect

I picked the top seven age appropriate responsibilites that Makayla could work on.  Her goals are as follows:

*Feed Chief and Rascal and make sure there is water in their bowl.

*Brush her teeth every night before bed.

*Pick up her toys in the living room at the end of the day and work on putting some toys away before getting new ones out.

*Stop whining.

*Share toys with Mason and her friends at daycare and school.

*Say "please" and "thank you".

*Stop fighting mommy and daddy about when to go to bed.

(which by the way, if anybody has any good tips/tricks for a good bedtime routine, send them my way!)



...Then, if she's does her chore/responsibility for the day, she gets to pick a magnetic smiley face out and put it on her board.  If at they end of the week, she has enough smiley faces, then she'll get a surprise.

I plan on sitting down with her tonight and explaining her goals and responsibilities to her and why they are important. Then we'll put this in action starting tomorrow. 

If we had already been following this chart, she probably would not be getting a smiley face today for saying "please" and "thank you".  When we went out to lunch today, the waiter gave Makayla a cup of Rootbeer.  She refused to say "thank you".  I told her that if she can't thank the waiter for her soda, then she will not get to drink it.  She once again refused to say "thank you".  After a couple of minutes, my soda lover said "Soda's not healthy.  I don't want it." - and I think she only said that because she thought she wouldn't have to say "thank you" if she said she didn't want the soda. 

Makayla's a good little girl, but I look forward to using this chart and watching her grow and mature even more.

Thank you, Brenda!

Kairos

Here's another one of those blogs where I'm sharing the words of somebody else.  These words come from Momastery.  I really liked what she had to say and wanted to pass it along!

I'm only going to share a few paragraphs of what she had to say, but to me they were the most important. 

This is how Momastery describes parenting:

I think parenting young children (and old ones, I’ve heard) is a little like climbing Mount Everest. Brave, adventurous souls try it because they’ve heard there’s magic in the climb. They try because they believe that finishing, or even attempting the climb are impressive accomplishments. They try because during the climb, if they allow themselves to pause and lift their eyes and minds from the pain and drudgery, the views are breathtaking. They try because even though it hurts and it’s hard, there are moments that make it worth the hard. These moments are so intense and unique that many people who reach the top start planning, almost immediately, to climb again. Even though any climber will tell you that  most of the climb is treacherous, exhausting, killer. That they literally cried most of the way up.

**Then she goes on to describe the two types of "time" in the parenting world:**

There are two different types of time. Chronos time is what we live in. It’s regular time, it’s one minute at a time, it’s staring down the clock till bedtime time, it’s ten excruciating minutes in the Target line time, it’s four screaming minutes in time out time, it’s two hours till daddy gets home time. Chronos is the hard, slow passing time we parents often live in.

Then there’s Kairos time. Kairos is God’s time. It’s time outside of time. It’s metaphysical time. Kairos is those magical moments in which time stands still. I have a few of those moments each day, and I cherish them.

Like when I actually stop what I’m doing and really look at Tish. I notice how perfectly smooth and brownish her skin is.  I notice the perfect curves of her teeny elf mouth and her asianish brown eyes, and I breathe in her soft Tishy smell. In these moments, I see that her mouth is moving but I can’t hear her because all I can think is – This is the first time I’ve really seen Tish all day, and my God – she is so beautiful. Kairos.

Like when I’m stuck in chronos time in the grocery line and I’m haggard and annoyed and angry at the slow check-out clerk. And then I look at my cart and I’m transported out of chronos. And suddenly I notice the piles of healthy food I’ll feed my children to grow their bodies and minds and I remember that most of the world’s mamas would kill for this opportunity. This chance to stand in a grocery line with enough money to pay. And I just stare at my cart. At the abundance. The bounty. Thank you, God. Kairos.

Or when I curl up in my cozy bed with Theo asleep at my feet and Craig asleep by my side and I listen to  them both breathing. And for a moment, I think- how did a girl like me get so lucky? To go to bed each night surrounded by this breath, this love, this peace, this warmth? Kairos.

These kairos moments leave as fast as they come- but I mark them. I say the word kairos in my head each time I leave chronos. And at the end of the day, I don’t remember exactly what my kairos moments were, but I remember I had them. And that makes the pain of the daily parenting climb worth it.

If I had a couple Kairos moments during the day, I call it a success.

Of course when I was done reading all that she had to write, I had to look up the word "Kairos".  I am always looking things up to gain a better understanding and up until today, I had never even heard of the word Kairos!  Under Wikipedia, this is what it says:

Kairos is an ancient Greek word meaning the right or opportune moment (the supreme moment).The ancient Greeks had two words for time, chronos and kairos. While the former refers to chronological or sequential time, the latter signifies a time in between, a moment of indeterminate time in which something special happens. What the special something is depends on who is using the word. While chronos is quantitative, kairos has a qualitative nature.

I guess I've never really looked at parenting in this way, but I've realized that's what I've been doing this whole time. Fortunately, it is very easy for me to live in kairos time.  I'm good at stepping outside and seeing the magic.  When times get hard or frustrating, it's easy for me to stop, take in a deep breath, and be thankful. It just seems like the natural thing to do!

Bath-Scapades

Kevin and I usually alternate nights for giving baths.  When it's my night to give the baths, everything goes smoothly.  The kids splash, we make bubble beards, sometimes we cry from getting "tear free" shampoo in our eyes, and we warm our towels up on the heater.

When Kevin gives them baths, they do all of the above PLUS some.  Things like Mason yelling BUBBLES BUBBLES BUBBLES over and over and over again being bound determined to fill the tub with the entire bottle of bubbles, Kevin swimming in his sweat puddles from the 200 degree heat that I require in the bathroom while the kids bathe, or Makayla standing up saying "pssssssssss" as she pees in the water.  It sounds like a circus upstairs whenever Kevin gives them baths and my favorite part is laughing at whatever story Kevin comes down with afterwards. 

The other night, Kevin called me up to see what Makayla had decided to do this time...

This story is Kevin's -

A couple of nights ago, it was my turn to give the kids a bath.  As I was getting their jammies picked out, Makayla was in the bathroom.  She grabbed a tampon off of the shelf.  I told her to put it back, that she didn't need it, but she insisted that she needed it to put on her boo-boo.  She opened it up, pulled the cotton part out of the plastic case thing and rubbed it on her foot.  She then said "See, Daddy!  It all better!".  Not paying much attention to what she did with the plastic part, I let it be.  The next thing I know, she is in the bathtub with a cup and drinking the bath water out of it with the plastic part of the tampon as a straw. 

I'm not sure what's funnier:

How she associates tampons with boo-boos or how she finds no disgust in drinking bath water through a tampon.

Question And Answer

A conversation with Makayla

(I know I could ask her all of these questions tomorrow and she would probably have different answers for almost all of the questions.  That's what I love about little kids - never boring!)

*I'm typing the words exactly how they come out of her mouth*

My favorite food is: Corn and mashed potatos

My parents call me: Lucy

The coolest person on Earth is: I am

When I grow up I want to be: A grown up and mom

My favorite color is: Pink

My favorite song is: Baby (by Justin Bieber)

When you go outside, what do you like to do? Play on my swingset

If I could go anywhere in the world, I’d go to: McDonalds

When I was little, I used to: I say bah-bah and drink formula

My best friend is: Jenny and Kole

My favorite snack is: Are you serious? Lucky charms

My favorite movie is: Olivia

I love the book: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star book

My favorite treat is: Candy bar

Why do you love mommy? Because you’re my best friend

Why do you love daddy? Because him my best friend.

Why do you love Mason? Because him love you and dad.

　

A conversation with Mason (Answered by Makayla)

 Mason's favorite food is: Baby granola bars

His second favorite food is: Peaches with bananas

What is Mason’s favorite color? Blue

When Mason grows up, what does he want to be?: A mom or a boy

Mason's favorite toy is: Balls

 Mason's favorite song is: Sweet Caroline
When Mason is outside, he likes to: Swing

What do you call Mason?: Buddy

When he was little, he used to: Goo goo ga ga

His favorite book is: The Potty Book

What is Mason's favorite thing to do with his sister?: When I hold him

Why does Mason love mommy? Because him love daddy

Why does Mason love daddy? Because him like fish

Why does Mason love you (Makayla)? Because him want me to hold him

9 Days Late And I Need Slippers

Happy New Year!

 I was so busy closing out and saying good-bye to 2011, that I forgot to welcome 2012, here.

When you look at your life, the greatest happinesses are family happinesses. 

~Joyce Brothers

I wanted to be together to ring in the new year.  I wanted to be happy with my family.

So...
 We left town.

We went out to dinner, checked in to a hotel, and went swimming.  After the kids went to bed (except for Makayla - she had to stay up until midnight and passed out at 12:04am) the grown-ups got to play games, eat grown up gummy bears, and kiss at midnight.

I wanted a night for and with my kids.  It was wonderful and the night was made even more special when we were joined by some great friends.

Us and our chitlins!  (KJ and her mom and dad, Evan and his mom and dad, and Mike and 'Tole)

Makayla and Mike.

Mason completely worn out.

Little Miss having a bawl!

We had a great time spending a night with our friends ringing in the New Year. 

We are blessed.

And...

... I need slippers!

Last weekend, we went from carpet to hardwood.

I am definitely the "carpet in your living room" type of person, but with kids and 2 cats, it just seemed like a good idea to get rid of the carpet. 

I would have taken a 'before' picture, but the carpet was too disgusting.  And even though the new flooring is cold and loud and I can see every speck of dirt and dust (which isn't a bad thing -

yesterday, the kids were eating powdered sugar donuts and it looked like it had snowed in the living room), I'm so happy that we finally made the decision to pull up the carpet.  

It will definitely take some time getting acclimated to the hardwood and now I just have to go find a good pair of slippers for everybody to keep our piggies warm!

First Year, Top Ten

Woo Hoo!

Exactly one year ago from today, I started blogging. 

And, why do I blog?

I know that I never want to forget what I love about my children. I never want to forget the things that make us smile, the things that make us laugh. I never want to forget the things that amaze us, that leave us in awe. I never want to forget the big things or the little things.

I never want to forget.

I want to remember as much as I can about my children growing up. I know when you love someone so much and they are so deeply a part of your being and soul, you think that you will never forget. Well, as the years go on and we grow and change, and our lives get busier, those ‘memories’ that I don’t ever want to forget may start slowing slipping away.

I’m not going to allow that to happen.

I have been and will continue to use this blog as a space to document all of those ‘things’ and ‘stories’ that I don’t ever want to forget. This blog will be a gift to Kevin and myself and to our children one day. How neat it will be to print into a book all of the posts from the day we started this until the day we end - filled with pictures and comments. I think that’s something to treasure and definitely something my kids will love.

So, when I write about things like Makayla saying “boobies” for blue berries and Mason struggling with the pain of his first tooth coming in - those stories may not seem important, but they are a big deal to us.

Those stories are our life - it’s what make us who we are. It’s the memories I never want to forget.

So, without further ado, I'd like to share with you the top 10 blogs/posts of our first year.  The most read posts by you, our readers.  Thank you.

(you can just click on the title to take you to the full post)

Enjoy!

Mason's Veins

Ecclesiastes 3

Elf

Our Vacations

Making Tents

Giving Birth In The Bathtub

 

Don't Waste It

 

Preschool Is A Big Deal

i heart faces: Hearts

The Next Place

Fingers

The other day, Makayla asked daddy if we could bite off her fingers.  When we asked her why, she said that she wanted to bite off her baby fingers so her big fingers would grow in.

That makes me laugh, kind of in the same way that her tic-tacs make me laugh.

She has started to take a liking to tic-tacs because they are her grown-up candy. She even likes the white ones.  Yuck.

Whenever we are getting ready to go somewhere, she'll always look around for her tic-tacs to take along with her.  She'll say "I need my white things so my teeth don't fall out".  She says it in the most serious, grown-up manner, that I can't help but laugh.

Reflections of 2011

 Below is just a quick recap of what 2011 brought to our family; and I say "quick", because of course, there was so much more...

I've chosen one picture from each month to highlight and attached a link next to the month to tell the story of the picture.  Just click on the title next to the month if you would like to peruse our past and see where we've been and what we've done.

Looking back over the past year has left me with so many mixed emotions - the good, the bad, and everything in between, and I realize that no matter what happens, Life Is What You Make It.

2011 was a beautiful, wonderful year and we're going to keep on, keepin' on!

Being thankful for this life and all that we've been given, I am looking forward to discovering and exploring all that lies ahead for us in 2012.

January - Please Take Your Time

February - Sledding Sledding Sledding

March - It's Not Just A Hockey Game

April - Two Major Events

May - What A Wonderful World

June - Tears At Relay

July - Let Freedom Ring

August - Preschool Is A Big Deal

September - Great Big Birthday Party

A letter to Mason on his first birthday - To Mason

and a letter to Makayla on her 3rd birthday - Happy 3rd Birthday, Baby Girl

October - So Many Things Change Yet Still Remain The Same

November - Our Vacations

December - Oh My Heart