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Thursday, June 26, 2008

Breathing

The house is sold, the papers are all signed, the hard work is done. The week is finally calming down some, the kids are down for nap, and I am just sitting here working on my breathing skills. In and out, in and out. Sipping ice water and enjoying the quiet.

We have no big plans on the horizon, no packing for trips, no errands to run (you didn't know errand running was considered 'big plans', did you now?) and nothing but a warm afternoon filled with being at home ahead of us.

So I am signing off the computer and going to pursue a nap. Because I am exhausted.

Sweet dreams!

Monday, June 23, 2008

The Road To Two

Met-My-Mate Mondays at Vitafamiliae.com


I was not a college girl. I kept trying, and while my grades were decent, my heart just wasn't in it. I didn't know what I wanted to be when I grew up. However, I did manage to find my way to the Baptist Student Center (the same one that LL over at Vita Familiae mentioned). While she showed up in August, I didn't make my debut until October.

I wasn't there seeking guys, though the place was overflowing with them and had a shortage on girls, by comparison, anyway. I was a brand spanking new Christian seeking other folks my age who shared my beliefs. You know, iron sharpens iron. I wasn't as shy back then as I tend to be now, oddly enough. We still don't know what happened, but I did become sort of a wall flower at some point in the last twelve years.

I was tagging along after a girl friend who had brought me along with her, and she was busily introducing me to this huge gaggle of people. However, she did not introduce me to Joshua. I noticed him all by myself. He was the incredibly cute guy that played the keyboard that night during worship.

Yes, he caught my attention. But I was still carrying some baggage from a previous relationship, so I was in no shape to seek his attention. So I sang the songs, enjoyed the atmosphere and kept my observations about the keyboard player all to myself.

The following week, I went back to the BSC for more fellowship and, if the truth be told, another glimpse of the keyboard player, whose name I didn't know yet. Alas, he was not the regular keyboard player back in those days, and was a little harder for me to find. When I did spot him in the group of people (a group of people who were singing praise songs while my eyes roamed) my pulse quickened, just a bit. And I laughed inside my head. I knew nothing about this guy other than the fact that he had some music skills.

I left again that night, not knowing what his name was, and fine with that. I really didn't have the heart to put into a real relationship, but I also labored under the delusion that dating Christian guys must be better than dating non-believers. As I slowly worked my way through three or four, shall we say, unintended young men, I was discouraged to find that I was never fully myself and at ease with them. I was quickly becoming convinced that dating a person to get to know them was not the way I wanted to deal with things. Much better to befriend the person first, date later.

A completely novel concept to my way of thinking.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Lizzy Lingo

Elizabeth is 14 months old, and has an amazing vocabulary. I remember Thomas didn't use words until Sarah Grace started talking. Sure, Mamma, Daddy, and another one or two, but I think the majority of the family believed that Thomas would never learn to talk and that Sarah Grace would do all his communicating for him.

Never fear, that is not how it worked out. They are both very verbal.

And now, Elizabeth is adding her two cents in more and more often. So, like a lot of you, since this is the best record I keep of our family and their achievements, here is Elizabeth's list of often used words.

Mommy, Mamma, Momma

Daddy

Nanny (Granny, Joshua's mom)

Mimi - interchangeable for my Mom and my Grandmother

Uh-oh

No! (screeched loudly and assertively most of the time)

Oh, deh! (Oh, dear - usually when she falls down or tosses something down the steps/out of the crib/over the side of her high chair, etc.)

Tah! (Stop! Used in place of No! when she is really frustrated)

Goooo (means go outside or what she calls the dog, because we are always telling the dog to go, get out!)

Acie - I am pretty sure this means Gracie, our pet name for Sarah Grace. She has only uttered it a time or two.

Talkative little thing, isn't she? And that doesn't include her sign language for more, please, down, all done. Not that we are proud of her or anything!

Another First

We decided to enroll the kids in a Mother's Morning Out Program over the summer. They go one day a week for about 6 hours. We have really been talking this up for the past week, and today finally got here.

Thomas found it hard to go to sleep last night, so great was his excitement! Incidentally, it took him a few minutes longer this morning to decide to get out of his bed. Once he made the decision to move, however, he was full steam ahead. He dressed himself in record time, brushed his teeth then dashed up the stairs for breakfast.

Sarah Grace was just finishing breakfast when we came up and I managed to get her to quit bouncing around just long enough to get her clothes on her and her hair tossed up.

Then the real excitement began. Joshua was hooking up a flat-bed trailer to his truck to haul it all to Huntsville. The kids lost all interest in school. They just wanted to be outside 'helping' Daddy with the trailer.

We wound up leaving before Joshua was done and both kids were somewhat dismayed that they couldn't watch the trailer drive away. Once we got good and out of sight of the house, though, the questions started rolling.

"What will we do?'

"Will we get to go outside?"

"Can we eat our lunch now?"

"Do I have to take a nap?"

"Do we get to play on the playground?"

"Who is my teacher?"

"Do you know her?"

"Can I color?"

"Can I play outside?"

"Will we get to go outside?"

Do you see what the major concern was? Mostly, they just wanted to play outside on the playground. And eat their lunch out of their lunch boxes!

We got to the church and found their classrooms just fine. Thomas stood at the doorway peeking around for about a minute debating to go or not to go, then dashed in and started playing in the Play-Doh with another little boy. He did manage to extract himself long enough to give me a hug and a kiss good-bye.

Sarah Grace had no qualms. She waltzed into her room and took over the kitchen area. When I called good-bye to her, she didn't so much as throw a glance over her shoulder. Her hand waved half heartedly in the air, letting me know she was quite absorbed in her work.

And now I am home, with Elizabeth napping and me wondering what to do with the stillness of the house!




Here are a couple of First Day of School shots...notice the distractedness in their eyes, especially Thomas. He was watching Daddy deal with the trailer!

Monday, June 16, 2008

Little Miss Priss

Sarah Grace has a love for most thing feminine. Last night, she was running about as Granny worked on cleaning up her fingernails some. When Sarah Grace noticed, she watched intently for a few seconds and then took over!


Thursday, June 12, 2008

Cloudy

There are days when I can find nothing to blog about. I reflect on this day and find that I am still so flustered at all the things that have just not quite gone right that it's hard for me to focus on anything that might have been worth savoring. It will come, when my mind starts letting go of the junk and my vision becomes clearer.

There are those times when I marvel at every little thing that my children are. There are times when they are so sweet and full of energy and life and fun. I look at them and just see miracle after miracle after miracle. Their eyes, their noses, their laugh, their blooming little personalities.

Then there are days when they are full of energy and life and mischief. The days where they wake up whining and disobedient. Where they nit-pick at each other and argue every little point with me. Where there is always, it seems, somebody in the midst of a fit, wailing, or tears. Nothing seems to go well, and everything seems to be wrong.

I have to check myself, though. Because on these hard days, I am more highly prone to yelling, getting angry, and speaking much more sharply than is needed. Am I agitated because of them or are they agitated because of me? It's a vicious circle. Nobody knows who got crabby first.

As I reflect, the things that jump out at me are the tears. Theirs, mine, ours. I remember yelling and seeing those precious little faces freeze and postures stiffen. I remember handing out spanks for strong wills that did not want to bend in obedience. I remember temper tantrums thrown in stores and fits thrown because Mommy said 'no'. I remember resistance when it came to getting seat-belts fastened. Fussing because 'I wanted to carry that bag, not this one.'

At the end of the day, as I unravel a bit and start to tap all of this out, I thankfully begin to remember moments where somebody came up to me just to give me a hug. I remember standing in the doorway of each nap-time room and gazing at those sweet and serene faces. I remember giggles over a made up song and shrieks of laughter during a game of hide and seek.

And I know that tomorrow, I will get up and we will start all over again. Hopefully, the attitudes and malfunctions of today will be forgotten, the trespasses against each other forgiven, and the lessons learned remembered for the next time.

Hopefully, after a good night's sleep, our minds and hearts will not be clouded with today's sins, but rather clean-slated for a new day's blessings and adventures. My prayer for tomorrow is to remember to always look heavenward and remember the I am seeking daily progress with my children and myself, that perfection is unattainable, but baby steps will make the difference.



I have sought your face with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise.
Psalm 119:58

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Shameless

And now, I will absolutely, positively, without any hesitation and not a trace of shame, post a picture of my little Elizabeth and her most recent predicament. Two of them, actually.




She managed to find the dog carrier and crawl herself inside it, but couldn't quite manipulate how to back out. So she resorted to alternately screaming for help and sucking her fingers.

When I found her, I was glad she couldn't see me. Because I left. To get the camera. For you, I tell you. I left my upset child so I could snap a picture for you. It had nothing to do with my own need to capture this moment on 'film'.

After I rescued her, she decided that her crib made a better napping place. And there she is sleeping very well. =)

Bittersweet...

...but not really.

We have now un-officially sold our first home. Once that little house passes all the inspections and what-not, we will hand the keys over to another growing family. It is kind of sad, every time I shut the door and leave there theses days (like every two weeks). Knowing that so many of my children's firsts happened there. But, I still have the blog. And pictures. Tons of pictures.

So say prayers for us: the closing date is two weeks away!! We would love to see all go well!

Sunday, June 08, 2008

Riding In Cars With Kids

We are driving down the road on our way to Scottsboro to spend the weekend with my parents. It is eight PM, so the kids are somewhat subdued. Occasionally I hear some quiet chatter floating from the back seat as Thomas and Sarah Grace discuss something. The radio is playing my music, and I am incredibly relaxed, my belly full, my day nearing over, the kids peaceful and a whole weekend at my parents house ahead of me.

As we round a curve, there is a break in the trees. And then, the peace is shattered.

"MOMMY!!! The MOON! The MOON! I see the MOON!!! Dere it is!!"

This comes forth from Sarah Grace. Her sudden outburst jolts me into a considerably less relaxed state. In fact, her sudden outburst causes me to jerk the wheel a tad, in turn causing the wheels to roll over the bumpity-bumps on the edge of the road. The bumpity-bumps cause the children to start chorusing "Be careful! Move over! Move over! Your to closer to the edge of the road!" Which is what I have taught them that the bumpity-bumps mean.

The ride only got noisier from there. The kids took turns shrieking about different things: oncoming headlights, how Mommy tried to run off the road, the water that reflected the moon beams, the trees that blocked their view of the moon, who had whose bwanket, and on it went. I finally gave in and turned off my music.

But, man, those first 30 minutes...heavenly.

Friday, June 06, 2008

Things That Make You Go Ew!

A sippee cup that has sat a day or two to long in the hot car.

Finding a stinky toilet that has not been flushed and noting that there is no toilet paper in it.

Cleaning the half a bug off the baby's lips and knowing that the other half is digesting.

That bowl of 'stuff' that has been sitting in the fridge for so long you just toss the bowl, not bothering to open it because the 'stuff' might be seeking revenge.

Teething diapers.

The baby that is learning to feed herself and reaches up with her sweet, though heavily food caked hand to rub your face as her way of showing affection.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
I am sure there are more, but that is just what has affected me so far today!!

Thursday, June 05, 2008

The Last Post for Today...

...to finish my marathon posting that will now bring you up to speed on the Freeman Home.

The new pweee-ten game at our house. Listen closely to hear Sarah Grace and her competitive streak. ;-)



Bean Freeman

Number four is due in December. I finally made it into the Dr's office and here is our sweet little Bean waving to us!



Audience Participation Required

I am in need of some new reading material. To fill my spare time. That two minutes a couple of times a day when everyone is content and not calling on Mommy to do something. So, here is the short list of things I like to fill my brain with.

*Christian Fiction
*John Grisham and others like him
*Michael Crichton and others like him
*Child Rearing books - and I am in need of books that focus on dealing with the heart. (please bypass pop-psychology books. I don't have the time nor inclination)
*Applying the Scriptures to my life - any facet


Also, I am hitting the wall as far as summer foods. Need recipe inspiration. Please donate your favorite summer recipe to my collection! In turn, I will come up with a few to post on here in the next few days to share with you! Oh, and dessert recipes, too. Mmmmm...dessert. The bestest part of a meal, yes?

And So It Begins

I had this sudden impulse to get Sarah Grace and Thomas to be able to spout off their birthday dates when folks asked. It was just to confusing for both of them to reply August, as if it were a destination. Naturally, the inevitable question followed their answers. 'Are they twins?' So the desire was born to get them to differentiate.

Sarah Grace quickly picked up on August 'fif' while Thomas struggled a bit with August 'fif-eent'. They now are fluent with these dates and can rapid fire them out just as quickly as their 'big names' and Mommy's telephone number. Somehow, these things seem important to me.

Now, it's a daily conversation. 'Mommy, is it my birfday yet?' No honey, not yet. Two more months. ''Two more monfs?' Yes, sweetie. 'Mommy, can I have a _________ birfday?'

Butterfly
Flower
Truck
Tree
Lady Bug
Frog
Bird
House
Bumble Bee
Fish
Rainbow

Those would be some of the more recent blank fillers. What this really means is 'Can my birthday cake be a (insert choice from above list)?'

I knew I should have stuck with sheet cakes. Or even a layered cake. But now that I produced the Bee Hive cake, my cake making days are going to be more demanding.

I like baking and all, but art was never my forte.

Airplanes




My little airplanes. I wish I had recorded the noises they were making. =)

Wednesday, June 04, 2008

Quick Quote

Recently, at our house, this was the conversation after one of those occasions in which Thomas had (smartly) chosen to obey all the way, right away, in a cheerful way.

"Gracie! Guess what I did to Mommy?"

"What?"

"I obeyed her!"

Yes, to those of you who haven't seen Thomas in action lately, this was indeed something to be proud of. It seems to be rather hard to obey without questioning, whining, complaining, and putting off. Generally in that order. My pat answer is "Thomas, you need to obey Mommy first, then ask your questions with a sweet voice" Spank, spank.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

Tuesday, June 03, 2008

More Picture of the Kids

Because that is what makes this blog so dang cute. Yes, yes??

We have discovered how very ticklish Elizabeth's belly is. This make for great entertainment at pajama time!



Thomas took his first big spill from his bike today. He is a mix between proud and pathetic over his road rash.